Embassy of the United States, Paris

Embassy of the United States, Paris
Native name
French: Ambassade des États-Unis en France


Embassy seen from the southwest
Location 2 Avenue Gabriel
France Paris, France
Coordinates 48°52′04″N 2°19′15″E / 48.867886°N 2.320733°E / 48.867886; 2.320733Coordinates: 48°52′04″N 2°19′15″E / 48.867886°N 2.320733°E / 48.867886; 2.320733
Opened 1933 (1933)[1]
Ambassador Jane D. Hartley (since 2014)
Location of Embassy of the United States, Paris in France

The Embassy of the United States in Paris is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the French Republic. The embassy is the oldest diplomatic mission of the United States.[2] Benjamin Franklin and some of the other Founding Fathers were the earliest United States Ambassadors to France.[2] It is located at 2 Avenue Gabriel, on the northwest corner of the Place de la Concorde, in the 8th arrondissement.[3]

Buildings

The U.S. State Department owns three buildings in Paris to support its diplomatic, consular, trade and cultural activities which are: the Embassy of the United States in Paris, the Hôtel de Pontalba also called Hôtel Rothschild (U.S. Ambassador’s residence), and the Hôtel Talleyrand. More details about the last two mansions can be found in the Secretary of State’s Register of Culturally Significant Properties.[4]

Chancery

The four-story chancery, housing the ambassador's office, faces the Avenue Gabriel and the gardens of the Champs-Élysées; it is beside the Hôtel de Crillon.[3] It was built in 1931, following the demolition of an existing structure.[5] Designed by Delano & Aldrich – an American architectural firm based in New York City, New York – along with French architect Victor Laloux, the building has a façade that conforms with other buildings on the Place de la Concorde, as required by French law.[5]

Talleyrand building

Hôtel de Talleyrand (circa 2007).

The so-called "Talleyrand building" at 2 rue Saint-Florentin formerly housed the American Embassy Consular Services, Public and Cultural Affairs offices, several other government agencies and the George C. Marshall Center.[6] Most of these offices were moved to the embassy proper.[6] Constructed in 1769 as a private residence, the property was acquired in 1812 by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, who owned it until his death in 1838.[7] It was then purchased by the banker James Mayer de Rothschild, whose family, owned it for over a century, until 1950, when it was acquired by the U.S. government.[7]

Ambassador's residence

The nearby property at 41 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, known as the Hôtel de Pontalba, was built by Louis Visconti for the New Orleans–born Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba between 1842 and 1855.[8] Edmond James de Rothschild acquired the building in 1876.[8] His estate sold it in 1948 to the U.S. government, and today it is the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to France.[8]

Telegram sent from the U.S. Embassy in Paris to President Kennedy on May 31, 1961

U.S. representatives in France

As of 20 January 2009, fifty-three people had represented, in France, the interests of the United States (or individual states prior to the 1789 ratification of the U.S. Constitution) as envoy, minister plenipotentiary, minister, ambassador or chargé d'affaires.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A history of the official American presence in France" (PDF). United States Department of State. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  2. 1 2 "History of the Embassy". United States Department of State. 2010-08-10. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  3. 1 2 "Embassy location". France.usembassy.gov. 2010-08-19. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  4. ↑ "Secretary of State’s Register of Culturally Significant Properties". State.gov. May 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. 1 2 "About the Embassy Chancery". France.usembassy.gov. 2010-10-15. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  6. 1 2 "About the Talleyrand building and the George C. Marshall Center". France.usembassy.gov. 2010-05-27. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  7. 1 2 "History of Hôtel de Talleyrand". Francemagazine.org. Archived from the original on 2002-12-28. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  8. 1 2 3 "About Hôtel de Pontalba". France.usembassy.gov. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
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