The Embassy of the United States of America in New Delhi is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

of the United States in the Republic of India. The embassy is headed by the

U.S. Ambassador to India The United States ambassador to India is the chief diplomatic representative of United States in India. The U.S. ambassador's office is situated at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. On March 15, 2023, Eric Garcetti was confirmed as ambassador. ...

. The embassy complex is situated on a 28-acre plot of land in

Chanakyapuri Chanakyapuri () is a neighbourhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950s in New Delhi, India. It is also a sub-division of the New Delhi district and plays host to the majority of foreign Embassy, embassies in New Delhi. Chanakyapuri, ...

, the diplomatic enclave of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, where most of the embassies are located. The embassy is also accredited to

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

with whom the United States maintains no formal relations.

History

The embassy was initially hosted in leased facilities which then-ambassador

Loy W. Henderson Loy Wesley Henderson (June 28, 1892 – March 24, 1986) was a United States Foreign Service Officer and diplomat. Background Loy Wesley Henderson was born on June 28, 1892, in Rogers, Arkansas, to a poor Methodist preacher. He attended college in ...

identified as insufficient. When the Indian government created the diplomatic enclave of

, it gave the United States the second pick for selecting property behind the United Kingdom; Henderson selected a "beautiful" 13-acre plot, and although the State Department did not purchase the land then, he persuaded Indian officials to hold it until the government authorized its procurement in 1953, when increased ties and awareness between the two countries as well as Cold War politics placed a new embassy in India atop the foreign service's construction priorities. The embassy was designed by American architect

Edward Durell Stone Edward Durell Stone (March 9, 1902 – August 6, 1978) was an American architect known for the formal, highly decorative buildings he designed in the 1950s and 1960s. His works include the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City; the Parliament H ...

, then a professor of architecture at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and the designer of

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

. The planning of the embassy began in the early 1950s and the complex includes the Chancery, the Roosevelt House (official residence of the U.S. Ambassador), office space and living accommodations and is located in New Delhi. After traveling to India, Stone submitted a design inspired by Indian temples and monuments, particularly the Taj Mahal, that used a white sunscreen around a structure shaped like a "rectangular donut" with a central tropical water garden featuring plants, fish, and birds. Despite some initial apprehension, it was approved in 1955 following a trip to the site by the commission tasked with evaluating the design. The cornerstone of the structure was laid by

Chief Justice of the United States The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...

on September 1, 1956. The building was estimated to cost $2,000,000 and replaced the former

Maharajah Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

's palace where the American embassy was previously housed. Warren stated that he hoped the embassy would become a "temple of peace", and became the first contemporary American building constructed following the U.S. State Department's directive that overseas buildings "should be in harmony with cultural, architectural and climatic conditions." The embassy was formally opened on January 5, 1959, in the presence of Indian Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

and other dignitaries. Following the opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to India

Ellsworth Bunker Ellsworth F. Bunker (May 11, 1894 – September 27, 1984) was an American businessman and diplomat who served as ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal and South Vietnam. He is perhaps best known for being a hawk on the war in Vietnam and S ...

stated, "To me this building is symbolic of what can be achieved through the cooperation of our two countries. From beginning to end it has been a joint venture." Before, during and soon after its construction, the embassy gained many positive appraisals and fascination in both mainstream publications and architecture journals, with a lot of coverage during Jacqueline Kennedy's 1962 goodwill tour of India and Pakistan. Upon its opening, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the embassy "probably the most elegant in the world." An incident of sexual assault in February 2020 occurred on U.S. Embassy grounds when Indian police revealed a 5-year-old girl had been raped. The U.S. Embassy, which took action immediately, informed the Delhi Police of the matter. The alleged was arrested and charged with rape, per Delhi Police, pending a trial date. The complex is currently undergoing a major renovation by

Weiss/Manfredi Weiss/Manfredi is a multidisciplinary New York City-based design practice that combines landscape, architecture, infrastructure, and art. The firm's notable projects include the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park, the Brooklyn Botanic ...

, with the new design announced in 2019 and groundbreaking taking place in January 2021. The original chancery building is to remain in use as the plan will both restore current buildings and construct new structures. Construction is expected to finished by 2027.

American consulates in India

The United States also has consulates in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, all of which are associated with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The US has declared intent to open consulates in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control

India–United States relations Bhutan–United States relations Register of Culturally Significant Property

History

American consulates in India

See also

References

External links