British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C.

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The British ambassador's residence
British Ambassador's Residence after Washington D.C.'s first snow day in two years on 18 January 2024 - 5.jpg
Principal southern facade overlooking garden
Location3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°55′15.92″N77°3′46.79″W / 38.9210889°N 77.0629972°W / 38.9210889; -77.0629972
Built1928
Architect Edwin Lutyens
Architectural style Queen Anne
Part of Massachusetts Avenue Historic District (ID74002166 [1] )
Designated CPNovember 26, 1973 [2]

The British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. is located at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. in the Embassy Row neighborhood.

Contents

History and architecture

It was commissioned in 1925, and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1928. An example of Queen Anne architecture, the residence is the only building Lutyens designed in North America. Frederick H. Brooke, the on-site architect, assisted with the design and oversaw the construction of the embassy, which was conducted by developer Harry Wardman. [3] [4] The full facade of the building was designed to face southwards towards its gardens, and the building was roofed with Ludowici clay tile. [5] [6]

The home is the most prominent part of a compound that also includes the offices of the embassy chancery and is a contributing property to the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [1]

King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales stayed at the residence during their 1985 visit to Washington, D.C. [7] Its 2009 property value is $31,308,480. There are about 10,000 visitors each year. [8]

The residence, together with the embassy offices, underwent a 5 year renovation costing £118.8 million ending in 2023. [9]

View of eastern facade from Massachusetts Avenue British Ambassador's Residence, Washington, D.C.jpg
View of eastern facade from Massachusetts Avenue

See also

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/74002166_text
  3. ↑ "Frederick H. Brooke". Landscape of a Washington Place. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  4. ↑ "Wardman and the British Embassy". Landscape of a Washington Place. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  5. ↑ Foster, Peter (7 May 2014). "Window on to another world: the residence of Britain's ambassador to the US". The Daily Telegraph .
  6. ↑ Ludowici-Celadon Company (October 1931). "The New British Embassy". American Architect. Vol. 140, no. 2600. Open Court Publishing Company. p. 63.
  7. ↑ Clines, Francis X. (10 November 1985). "The British Have Landed and Washington is Taken". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Sellers, Frances Stead. "A new book opens the doors on the British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C." The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Chappet, Marie-Claire (2023-10-04). "The newly-revamped British embassy in Washington brims with eye-wateringly expensive art following £118.8 million refurb". Tatler. Retrieved 2024-12-02.


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