Introduction: The Former US Embassy in Grosvenor Square: A New Chapter as the Rosewood Chancery Hotel
One of the best things about London – and the UK as a whole – is our talent for inventing new uses for buildings. Rather than tear down and rebuild, we re-purpose. With so many listed buildings, particularly in central London, demolition is often not an option, and so our architecture frequently gains a new and different lease of life when its original function comes to an end.
In wealthy Mayfair, this has played out most notably on the west side of leafy Grosvenor Square. Here, a Grade II listed 1960s building by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen reopened in September as the luxury Rosewood Chancery Hotel.
A Landmark with a Story: From Embassy to Hotel
Mayfair is full of five-star hotels, so what makes this one special? The answer lies in the building’s past. From 1960 to 2018, this striking structure served as the USA’s London embassy.
If the sculpture of the gilded aluminium eagle soaring above the building wasn’t enough of a hint – itself included in the listing and designed by Polish-American sculptor Theodore Roszak – the statues outside offer further clues. President Dwight D. Eisenhower is commemorated for his leadership during WWII as Supreme Allied Commander of the D-Day invasions, while President Ronald Reagan is remembered for his role in ending the Cold War.
American Connections Across Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is rich with American associations. The gardens at the centre of the square are currently being re-landscaped, due for completion in summer 2026, and feature a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the US President during WWII. Nearby, a more sombre memorial stands at the east side of the gardens, honouring the British victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Land Ownership, Diplomacy, and a Peppercorn Rent
When the Americans sought to build their embassy in Grosvenor Square in 1960, they assumed they would purchase the land. But the Grosvenor family – the Dukes of Westminster – own this part of north-west Mayfair and retain the freehold, embassy or no embassy.
The Americans pushed back, but the response was that they could buy the freehold only if the former colonial lands confiscated at the end of the American War of Independence were returned to the Grosvenors. Touché!
Instead, the Americans agreed to a 999-year lease for a peppercorn rent – quite literally, one peppercorn a year.
Today, the lease has passed to a Qatari real estate company who own the building, while the hotel is operated by Rosewood Hotels, a subsidiary of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises of Hong Kong.
A New Life for a Listed Icon
The repurposed building looks fabulous, and is well worth admiring from the outside. And if you are feeling flush, a visit to the Eagle Bar on the rooftop offers the chance to see that magnificent bird sculpture up close. This once-official site of diplomacy now enjoys a vibrant new role well into the 21st century.
Plan Your Visit
Why not experience the story of this remarkable building for yourself?
Book a private tour with Jill Dalton, exploring the delights of Mayfair or nearby Hyde Park, and see this fabulous landmark up close.
