AMBASSADOR Robert Holmes Tuttle
Speeches, Remarks & Events
09 May 2008
Message from Ambassador Tuttle About Improvements at the U.S. Embassy
 The new perimeter security area in front of the U.S. Embassy
(Embassy photo)
As many of you well know, the perimeter of our Embassy in London has been somewhat of an eyesore over the last few years, as we installed temporary security barriers after September 11, 2001 and then started in 2006 a substantial construction project to make permanent security improvements. I am very pleased to report to you that by mid-June those upgrades will be completed, and I believe the Embassy will look better than it ever has.
Working closely with the City of Westminster, our aim has been to not only make the Embassy and its surroundings safer, but also to improve the area's appearance and streamline the entrance of American citizens, visa applicants and other visitors. I look forward to fulfilling that commitment when we open two new entry pavilions in front of the Embassy and complete landscaping that will once again gracefully integrate our presence with the beautiful and historic Grosvenor Square. One of the entry pavilions will be devoted to American citizens and distinguished visitors, while we will have a separate pavilion for processing the daily flow of hundreds of applicants for various types of visas. Chain-link fencing will be replaced by an attractive iron fence, and we will once again have wide pedestrian walkways along Upper Brook and Grosvenor Streets.
This project has taken us a bit longer than we expected, but we are proud of the result that you will see this summer. We appreciate the forbearance of our neighbors, the support of the Westminster Council, and all the hard work that has gone into this project. I hope that the next time you visit the Embassy you will be as proud as we of the Embassy's new look.
Sincerely,
Robert H. Tuttle
Ambassador
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Speeches, Remarks & Events