A full-floor apartment on the perimeter of London’s Grosvenor Square, an enclave that has ranked as the most expensive locale in the city, is for sale, complete with an illustrious history. The two-bedroom apartment debuted on the market in early November for the first time in more than 50 years with an £11 million (US$14.5 million) asking price.
The building is on the site of what was once the official London residence and offices of Walter Hines Page, who was the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. from 1913 to 1918. In 1913, the year Page took up residence, the New York Times wrote about his move to the home, following a “difficult house hunt.” “While the house is comparatively small—it could probably be put in the reception rooms of Dorchester House, the late Ambassador [Whitelaw] Reid’s residence—it is situated in a most exclusive locality and in what is known as the ‘Embassy Section,’” the newspaper wrote, adding that he was “greatly pleased with the place, especially as it is only a stone’s throw from the Coburg Hotel, where he is living, and he is acquainted with the neighborhood.”
The building that now stands on the spot was built in 1961 in a Neo-Georgian style to complement the rest of the square, according to the release. The apartment spans the entire fourth floor of the brick and stone building. It has a reception room which runs the entire width of the building with five windows looking out over the gardens at the center of the square, a gallery-style kitchen with a breakfast area, and a principal bedroom suite with a dressing area. There is also a separate staff studio and two underground parking spaces, according to the listing.
Governor Square has a longstanding history with the U.S. Its embassy arrived on the square in 1938, first at 1 Grosvenor Square, then to a building that spanned the entire western side of the square in 1960. In 2017, the U.S. embassy moved south of the River Thames to the Nine Elms neighborhood.
Article source: Mansion Global
