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U.S. Ambassador’s Residence -

London, United Kingdom

Winfield House is the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James in London, United Kingdom. It is a neo-Georgian brick mansion built in 1936 by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton after the original house was partly destroyed by fire. Designed by London architect Leonard Rome Guthrie, it occupies 12 acres on the northwest side of elegant Regent’s Park. Following World War II, Hutton gave the property to the U.S. government to be repaired and used as the official residence of the Ambassador. Her “most generous and patriotic offer” was accepted in a personal letter from President Harry Truman. For the token price of a U.S. dollar, Winfield House passed into official American ownership. 

 
 
 

Janice H. Levin Sculpture Garden

Elie Nadelman

As part of FAPE’s millennium GIFT TO THE NATION, funds were raised through the generosity of Janice H. Levin to create the Janice H. Levin Sculpture Garden. The garden, which features an Elie Nadelman sculpture, was designed by Boston landscape architect Morgan Wheelock and dedicated on October 12, 2000.

Elie Nadelman
Seated Woman with Raised Arm
c. 1924, cast 1964
Bronze, 3 feet, 10 inches x 1 foot, 7 inches x 2 feet, 1 inch
Photograph: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited

 
 
 

Additional Work

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois generously donated Spider to FAPE’s millennium GIFT TO THE NATION. It was installed in the garden at Winfield House in 2010.

Gift of the artist, courtesy Cheim & Read, New York

 
 

Restoration & Preservation

In 2001 Leonore and Walter Annenberg established the Winfield House Gift, a $5 million endowment for the preservation and upkeep of the residence. Ambassador and Mrs. Annenberg underwrote extensive redecoration during their 1969 to 1974 tenure at Winfield House. One of their most significant contributions was the installation of hand-painted Chinese wallpaper in the Garden Room.

The work done by the Annenbergs ensured that future ambassadors could concentrate on preservation and conservation, not interior design. Requests are made by the State Department and presented to FAPE for approval. Projects that are consistent with the maintenance of the historical continuity of Winfield House receive funding from the endowment.

In 1999 as part of FAPE’s millennium project, GIFT TO THE NATION, Ambassador and Mrs. Walter Annenberg and Ambassador and Mrs. Charles Price donated funds for several restoration projects at Winfield House including the State Dining Room.

FAPE Chairman Jo Carole Lauder and artist Ellsworth Kelly in the Garden Room featuring the hand-painted Chinese wallpaper.

 

Winfield House
U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in London
London NW1 4RT
United Kingdom

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