PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Press Release

02 May 2007
Statement: U.S. Embassy in London not for sale

Recently there have been a number of erroneous stories about an alleged sale of the U.S. Embassy building, often called the Chancery. The Embassy building is not currently for sale, and no decision has been made regarding the best way to provide a modern, secure facility. The State Department is considering refurbishing the Embassy building, and is also considering options that could lead to relocating the Chancery from its current address at 24 Grosvenor Square. One option includes looking at potentially viable sites that could be acquired for new construction. The global real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield is spearheading that search effort. A second real estate company – Knight Frank – has been appointed to advise the Department concerning the disposal of the existing Embassy facility if the decision is made to move.

The building that is up for sale is the Navy Annex at 20 Grosvenor Square, adjacent to the Chancery. The Annex, formerly occupied by the U.S. Navy, is virtually vacant and the space is no longer needed. Cushman & Wakefield is handling that sale. The Office of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), which directs the worldwide buildings program for State, is creating a short list of qualified bidders, and discussions are continuing between both sides. We expect that a successful bidder will be named within the next two to three weeks.

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