Centre William Rappard

The Centre William Rappard at Rue de Lausanne 154, Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1923 and 1926 to house the International Labour Office . It was the first building in Geneva designed to house an international organization. In 1975 the ILO moved to Grand Saconnex and in 1977 the Centre William Rappard was occupied by the secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the library of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. By 1995, the World Trade Organization replaced the GATT and became the main occupant of the Centre William Rappard. In 2008-2013, the building was completely renovated and an extension was constructed to make available more office space and meeting rooms.

The original site of the Centre William Rappard was part of an estate formed from the Rappard and Bloch properties, and contained two mansions. The original Villa Rappard was built in 1785, and renovated in 1894. The Villa Bloch was demolished in 1957 to make way for the south wing expansion of the Centre William Rappard. The Villa Rappard and land, situated to the north of the original site, were acquired by the ILO in 1963. The Swiss Confederation bought the estate in 1921 and donated it to the League of Nations in 1923. Later that year, the Swiss architect George Épitaux was commissioned to build the new ILO headquarters. The construction lasted three years, and the new building was inaugurated on 6 June 1926. Wings were added to the north-east , south-west , south , and south-east . In 1975 the ILO moved to neighbouring Grand Saconnex and the property was owned by the Building Foundation for International Organizations , of the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Geneva. In 1977, the building was named Centre William Rappard after the Swiss diplomat William Rappard , and was occupied by the secretariat of the GATT, the UNHCR, and the Graduate Institute's library.

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