U.S. President Donald Trump And London Mayor Sadiq Khan Square Off Over Embassy

March 23. 2018

Old U.S. embassy in London

U.S. president Donald Trump and London, England mayor, Sadiq Khan are at odds over a number of political issues, in a dispute that has spilled over into the press. One of their disagreements has to do with the sale of the U.S. embassy in London's pricey Mayfair and Trump expressed the view America was cheated in Barack Obama agreeing to a $750,000,000 sale, under an initiative started by George W. Bush. Trump referred to the $750,000,000 as "peanuts." However, I don't think America received a bad price for the building and land parcel. Here's why.

The old embassy was in beautiful Grosvenor Square. The modernist building was designed by Eero Saarinen in the 1950s and it did not age well. The U.S. embassy stood out like a sore thumb. It was surrounded by an imposing, austere looking metal security gate. It looked like a prison in the middle of Mayfair, in a beautiful shopping district with elegant red brick buildings and expensive glass storefronts. The contrast was too much. You immediately notice it as you walk along the street.

I had to go to the U.S. embassy in London on appointment for a passport renewal. When I first saw and went into the building in Mayfair, I didn't think it was the right image for America. The building was clean and not in a state of disrepair, but it looked like it needed extensive refurbishment. It looked like a cliché 60s or 70s design. It wasn't imposing and impressive. The building needed a complete internal redo to modernize it (especially the flooring).

The new U.S. embassy opened this year is much nicer

The staff was nice, but I couldn't get over how the building looked very dated and in a non-classical way. There were recesses inside the building's main walking areas that are not particularly easy for the elderly or people with disabilities to maneuver, especially when it rains outside (it makes the lovely marble slippery). The large waiting room where visa and passport renewals are processed had synthetic wood floors that were painted jet black. It gave the room a dark and dated look.

The old U.S. embassy in Mayfair would look better painted white. A more ornate black wrought iron gate with brass highlights/flourishes could dress up the security gate. Many multi-colored flowers could beautify the front of the property. The building can be refurbished and quite nicely. However, U.S. government staff stated it would cost several hundred million dollars to refurbish the property in the manner they wanted.

Therefore, the U.S. government decided to sell the building and build a new property in less expensive south London. Trump, a real estate expert, also stated the new building is too expensive, with land and construction cost hitting $1 billion dollars. The new embassy is quite pricey. However, some of these costs have to do with security designs, features and equipment requested by the FBI and CIA.

The new U.S. embassy in south London looks really nice. The building has a very nice, modern, external design. Trump is not happy with the location, but as the former building in wealthy Mayfair had protected status (Grade II listing) by the British government, it would not have been permissible to demolish the structure and rebuild.

STORY SOURCE

The US embassy in London says the initial plan to move and finance a new building was a Bush decision

President Donald Trump blamed his decision not to visit the UK on a "bad deal" negotiated by the Obama administration.
The US embassy in London says the plan to the finance a new embassy goes back to the George W. Bush administration.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that Trump would have been met by mass peaceful protests if he came to the UK.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will tell Trump he is still welcome in London, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

Jan. 13, 2018, 7:06 AM - The US embassy in London has responded to US President Donald Trump after he described the new £750 million embassy in Battersea, which opens January 16, as a "bad deal." On Friday, Trump cancelled a February trip to the UK to open the new embassy. He blamed the cancelled visit on the "off location" of the new embassy, which is moving from Grosvenor Square in Mayfair to Nine Elms, south of the Thames.

He said the embassy was sold for "peanuts" in a poor deal negotiated by his predecessor Obama's administration. On Friday evening, a US embassy spokesman hit back at the president's claims. He said the plan to finance the project was developed in 2007, at a time when George W. Bush was in the White House.

"The US chancery in Grosvenor Square had aged beyond its ability to be improved to current security and life safety standards without extensive investment in infrastructure that would require appropriated dollars," he said. "In 2007, the department developed a plan to finance a new embassy project through a property swap for existing US government property in London...

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