The Embassy of the United States of America in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

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 deno ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

in the

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The Embassy is headed by the U.S. Ambassador to India. The embassy complex is situated on a 28-acre plot of land in

Chanakyapuri Chanakyapuri (Sanskrit: चाणक्यपुरी; IAST: Cāṅakyapurī ) is a neighbourhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950s in New Delhi. It is also a sub-division of the New Delhi district and plays host to the majority ...

, the diplomatic enclave of New Delhi, where most of the embassies are located. The embassy is also accredited to

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

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 ...

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

, it gave the United States the second pick for selecting a property behind the United Kingdom; Henderson selected a "beautiful" 13-acre plot, and although the State Department didn't purchase the land at that time, he persuaded Indian officials to hold the land 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 at the top of 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 Museo de A ...

, then a professor of architecture at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and the designer of

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall 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 City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

. 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 tropical water garden at the center that featured plants, fish, and birds. Despite some initial apprehension, it was approved in 1955 following a trip to the site by the commission tasked with looking at the design. The cornerstone of the structure was laid by Chief Justice of the United States

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

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

Maharajah Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

'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 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

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 (including being the ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal and South Vietnam). He is perhaps best known for being a hawk on the war in Vietn ...

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 Jacqueline Kennedy took a goodwill tour of India and Pakistan in 1962. While the media gave widespread coverage on her fashion style, she functioned as an informal diplomat and developed her interest in arts and architecture, returning to India ...

. Upon its opening, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the embassy "probably the most elegant in the world." An incident of sexual assault in February 2020 occurred inside the Embassy grounds when Indian police revealed a 5-year-old girl had been raped. The U.S. Embassy was deeply disturbed by the alleged misconduct, took action immediately, and brought the matter to the attention of the Delhi Police. 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 Ga ...

, with the new design being 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 as well as 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 — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, all of which are associated with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.U.S. consulates in India

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Diplomatic missions in India

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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

History

American consulates in India

See also

References

External links