A Look At Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, London

Описание: Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the surname "Grosvenor". The unique floor plans, detailed elevations, 3D façade model for the building was done by Michael Gallie.
Grosvenor Square was long a center of American presence in London beginning when John Adams established the first American mission to the Court of St. James's in 1785. Adams lived, from 1785 to 1788, in the house which still stands on the corner of Brook and Duke Streets.
During the Second World War American general Dwight D. Eisenhower established a military headquarters at 20 Grosvenor Square, and during this time the square was nicknamed "Eisenhower Platz". Until 2009, the United States Navy continued to use this building as its headquarters for United States Naval Forces Europe. A statue of wartime president Franklin D. Roosevelt sculpted by Sir William Reid Dick stands in the square, as does a later statue of Eisenhower, and a statue of president Ronald Reagan. The square also contains the Eagle Squadrons Memorial.
The former United States Embassy of 1938–1960 on the square was purchased by the Canadian government and renamed Macdonald House. It was part of the Canadian High Commission in London until 2014, when all the functions of the Canadian High Commission were transferred to Canada House in Trafalgar Square.
The former American embassy building (1960–2018) on the western side of Grosvenor Square is now a hotel
In 1960, a new United States Embassy was built on the western side of Grosvenor Square. This was a large and architecturally significant modern design by Eero Saarinen, being at the time a controversial insertion into a mainly Georgian and neo-Georgian district of London. In March and October 1968, there were large demonstrations in the square against US involvement in the Vietnam War. On both occasions, the protest became violent. After 2001 a series of anti-terrorist devices were installed around the embassy, and the road running along the front of the building has been closed completely to traffic. In 2006, the Grosvenor Square Safety Group residents association took out advertisements in The Washington Post and The Times, accusing the Metropolitan Police and local government of a "moral failure" for not closing two other roads adjacent to the embassy.
In 2008, the United States Government chose a site for a new embassy in the Nine Elms area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, south of the River Thames. Construction of the new Embassy of the United States in London began in 2013, with relocation completed by 2017. In October 2009, following a recommendation by English Heritage, the building was granted Grade II listed status. The listing means that the new owners will not be allowed to change the facade, which includes the 35-foot-wingspread gilded-aluminium eagle that hovers above the main entrance. In November 2009, the Grosvenor Square property was purchased by the Qatari Diar investment group.