HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Italian Republic to the United States, and the seat of the
Italian Ambassador to the United States The Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the United States of America () is the official representative of the government of Italy to the government of the United States. Prior to the formation of the Italian Republic in 1946, the Kingdom of ...
. The original Italian diplomatic mission to the United States following
Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
was founded by Baron Saverio Fava. The current chancery is located just off Embassy Row at 3000 Whitehaven Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. In 1972, the Italian government purchased property from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that was part of the campus of the neighboring Center for Hellenic Studies. The new building was designed by Piero Sartogo Architetti and was constructed in 1996.


Old Embassy

Previously the embassy had been based at 2700 16th Street and Fuller Street, in an ornate and historic, but small, facility. Several of the embassy's offices had to be based elsewhere in Washington, and it was thus decided to build a new chancery. The Neo-Renaissance building was completed in 1925 and was designed by architects Warren and Wetmore (their designs include
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
in New York City). The first Italian ambassador to reside in the home was Giacomo De Martino. In 1977, Ambassador Roberto Gaja moved the residence to Villa Firenze (Firenze House) in the Forest Hills neighborhood. The 16th Street building continued to serve as the chancery until 2002, when it was purchased by developers. Their plans to convert the building into condominiums are being challenged by the city's Historic Preservation Office.


Bibliography

* As described in


See also

* Foreign relations of Italy * Italian nationality law * List of ambassadors of Italy to the United States


External links

*
Embassy of Italy in Washington

wikimapia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Embassy, Washington, D.C. Italy Washington, D.C. Government buildings completed in 1996 1990s architecture in the United States Italy–United States relations Italy