The Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C. ( fil, Pasuguan ng Pilipinas sa Washington D.C. also fil, Embahada ng Pilipinas sa Washington D.C.) 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 den ...

of the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

to the

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is located at 1600 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. It predates the independence of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and is the oldest Philippine legation overseas, though the distinction of the first Philippine embassy proper overseas, belongs to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo.

History

The original chancery of the Philippine Embassy, a house built in 1917 for Daniel C. Stapleton on a design by local architect

Clarke Waggaman Daniel Boone Clarke Waggaman (November 16, 1877 - October 3, 1919) was an architect, designer, and lawyer. He designed residences, apartments, commercial buildings, townhouses, and country estates throughout America, most notably the Washington, D ...

, was purchased by the Office of the

Resident Commissioner of the Philippines The resident commissioner of the Philippines () was a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives sent by the Philippines from 1907 until its internationally recognized independence in 1946. It was similar to current non-voti ...

during the period of service of Joaquin Elizalde. During World War II, from May 1942 onwards, it became the headquarters of the

Government in exile of the Commonwealth of the Philippines The Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in exile ( es, Gobierno de la Commonwealth de Filipinas en el exilio, tl, Pámahalaáng Kómonwélt ng Pilipinas sa pagpapatapón) was a continuation of the government of the Commonwealth of th ...

and temporary capital of the Philippines until the Commonwealth government returned to the Philippines in October, 1944. On July 4, 1946, the embassy was formally established. 1617 Massachusetts Avenue NW

President Manuel L. Quezon sojourned at the

Shoreham Hotel The Omni Shoreham Hotel is a historic resort and convention hotel in Northwest Washington, D.C., built in 1930 and owned by Omni Hotels. It is located one block west of the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Calvert Street. The hotel is known ...

during the war and had plans to turn his room into a permanent official residence, but these plans were abandoned by

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudd ...

after he became

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of ...

. The mansion at 2253 R Street NW, built in 1904 on a design by

Waddy Butler Wood Waddy Butler Wood (1869 – January 25, 1944) was a prominent American architect of the early 20th century and resident of Washington, D.C. Although Wood designed and remodeled numerous private residences, his reputation rested primarily ...

, was subsequently purchased in 1954 and has been the ambassador's residence since. That same building had hosted the legation of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1928–29. In 1991, construction of a new chancery began on a trapezoidal island on Massachusetts Avenue, bordered by 17th Street, N Street, Bataan street, and Massachusetts Avenue, across from the old building. Completed in 1993, the present-day chancery is a four-story of beaux-arts design with a smooth-finish precast, blending nicely with the traditional limestone structures of

Embassy Row Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C. with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded by ...

. The old chancery, meanwhile, was converted into the embassy's consular section in the late 2016.

References

External links

Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.wikimapia

Washington, D.C. Philippines–United States relations

Government buildings completed in 1993 1990s architecture in the United States {{Philippines-stub