Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C.

The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., is Sweden's diplomatic mission in the United States. The Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., is one of Sweden's largest diplomatic missions with more than fifty employees.[1] Ambassador since 2023 is Urban Ahlin. Sweden also has a Consulate General in New York City and a number of Honorary Consulates General in the United States.[2] Since 2006, the embassy is located in the House of Sweden building on the Potomac River.

Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C.
LocationWashington, D.C.
AddressPostal address:
Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007-5118
USA
Visiting address:
Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street, N.W.
Washington
AmbassadorUrban Ahlin
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Swedish-American relations have a long history stretching back to the 17th century when Sweden in 1638 established the colony of New Sweden in the state of Delaware. In 1782, diplomatic relations were established by Samuel Gustaf Hermelin.[3] Sweden was the first country, in addition to the states that were directly involved in the American Revolutionary War (the United Kingdom and France), to recognize the United States in 1783.[4] In 1783 the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Sweden and the United States was signed.

A break in diplomatic relations occurred in 1973 when the then Ambassador Hubert de Bèsche and his newly elected successor Yngve Möller were declared undesirable in the United States as a result of a diplomatic crisis that followed Olof Palme's statement about the Hanoi bombings in December 1972.[5] In 1974 the new Swedish Ambassador Wilhelm Wachtmeister took office and held the post until 1989. Wachtmeister was eventually given the title Dean of the Diplomatic Corps (Doyen) as the longest serving Ambassador in Washington, D.C.[6] Other famous diplomats who held the Ambassador post are Jan Eliasson, Rolf Ekéus and Anders Thunborg.

The former embassy building was located at 2006 N Street, N.W.,[7] in a Victorian building at 2249 R Street, N.W., [8] from 1921 to 1971 and in Suite 1200, Watergate Six Hundred, 600 New Hampshire Avenue[9] along the banks of the Potomac River. When the rent in the Watergate complex became too high, the embassy was moved to a couple of floors at 1501 M Street, N.W. in Downtown.[10][11] The idea had been for several decades to acquire an own embassy building but the idea had come unstuck because of few suitable sites.[11]

In August 2006, the embassy returned to the banks of the Potomac River when the new embassy building, the House of Sweden, opened on the waterfront in Georgetown. The site was bought by the National Property Board of Sweden from the Swede Kate Novak's husband Alan Novak's development company.[11]

Buildings

Embassy building
Main article: House of Sweden

The embassy has since 2006 been housed on the second floor of the then newly built and later the award-winning office and residential complex House of Sweden on the Potomac River in Georgetown. House of Sweden is the result after an architectural competition which the National Property Board of Sweden announced in June 2002. The winning entry was selected by the jury in January 2003 and construction began in August 2004.[12] In August 2006 the embassy staff moved in. The opening ceremony was held on 23 October 2006, in the presence of the King and Queen of Sweden.[13]

The building was designed by architects Gert Wingårdh and Tomas Hansen and Wingårdh received the Architects Sweden's (Sveriges Arkitekter) Kasper Salin Prize in 2007 for the building. The Washington Post named the House of Sweden the "Venue of the Year" in 2008. The cost of construction amounted to 482 million SEK.[14] House of Sweden houses the embassy building, embassy offices, 19 apartments and a 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) event center with conference facilities and exhibition spaces. The building is about 6,400 square metres (69,000 sq ft) and is managed by the National Property Board of Sweden.[13] In 2009 Sweden and Iceland signed a 15-year long contract for office and a residential apartment for the Embassy of Iceland in the House of Sweden.[15]

  • Embassy of Sweden during the year 1921–1971 at 2249 R Street, N.W. Today it's used as the Kenyan embassy.
    Embassy of Sweden during the year 1921–1971 at 2249 R Street, N.W. Today it's used as the Kenyan embassy.
  • Embassy of Sweden from 1971 at Watergate Six Hundred.
    Embassy of Sweden from 1971 at Watergate Six Hundred.
  • Embassy of Sweden (House of Sweden) from 2006.
    Embassy of Sweden (House of Sweden) from 2006.

Residence

The ambassadorial residence is located at 3900 Nebraska Avenue, N.W.[8] The Spanish-influenced residence on Nebraska Avenue was designed by American architect Arthur B. Heaton. For several years, the building housed David F. Lawrence, one of the Washington's more well-known newspaper publishers.[16]

The residence is decorated with Swedish classics, including rugs by Märta Måås-Fjetterström, Gustavian furniture, art by Stellan Mörner, Olle Bærtling and Fredrik Reuterswärd. The gallery has French woven wallpapers from the late 1600s and early 1700s with landscape motifs. Thousands of guests to the Swedish ambassador and his family enjoy the Swedish decor every year.[16]

The residence features a garden, greenhouse, and tennis court. There, former Ambassador Wilhelm Wachtmeister used to play tennis with President George H. W. Bush.[16] In June 2019, a decision was taken to sell the residence and that the Swedish ambassador would move into House of Sweden.[17]

  • Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C
    Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C
  • Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C
    Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C
  • Detail of the doorway to the residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C
    Detail of the doorway to the residence of the Ambassador of Sweden in Washington, D.C

Heads of Mission
Main article: List of ambassadors of Sweden to the United States
NamePeriodTitleRefs/Notes
Johan Albert Kantzow1812–1819Resident Minister
Berndt Robert Gustaf Stackelberg1819–1831Chargé d'affaires
David Gustaf Anckarloo1831–1833Chargé d'affaires
Severin Lorich1834–1837Chargé d'affaires
Gustaf af Nordin1838–1845Chargé d'affaires
Adam Christopher Lövenskiöld1845–1850Chargé d'affaires
Georg Sibbern1850–1854Chargé d'affaires
Georg Sibbern1854–1858Resident Minister
Nils Erik Wilhelm af Wetterstedt1858–1860Resident Minister
Carl Edward Vilhelm Piper1861–1864Resident Minister
Nils Erik Wilhelm af Wetterstedt1864–1870Envoy
Oluf Stenersen1870–1875Envoy
Carl Lewenhaupt6 March 1876 – 1884EnvoyAlso Acting Consul General there from 10 March 1876.[18]
Gustaf Lennart Reuterskiöld1884–1888Envoy
Johan Anton Wolff Grip1889–1906Envoy
Herman Lagercrantz25 January 1907 – 4 June 1907Acting Envoy[19]
Herman Lagercrantz5 June 1907–1910Envoy[19]
Albert Ehrensvärd8 October 1910 – 1911Envoy[20]
August Ekengren1912–1920Envoy
Axel Wallenberg1921–1925Envoy
Wollmar Boström1925–1945Envoy
Herman Eriksson1 October 1945 – 8 December 1947Envoy[21]
Herman Eriksson9 December 1947 – 1948Ambassador[21]
Erik Boheman1948–1958Ambassador
Gunnar Jarring1958–1964Ambassador
Hubert de Bèsche1964–1973Ambassador
Yngve Möller1972–1972Never took office[note 1]
Wilhelm Wachtmeister1974–1989Ambassador
Anders Thunborg1989–1993Ambassador
Henrik Liljegren1993–1997Ambassador
Rolf Ekéus1997–2000Ambassador
Jan Eliasson2000–2005Ambassador
Gunnar Lund2005–2007Ambassador
Jonas Hafström2007–2013Ambassador
Björn Lyrvall2013–2017Ambassador
Karin Olofsdotter2017–2023Ambassador
Urban Ahlin[23]15 August 2023–presentAmbassador

Footnotes
  1. Yngve Möller was appointed Swedish ambassador in 1972 but never took office because of a temporary break in Swedish-American relations.[22]

References
  1. "Ambassaden" [The Embassy] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  2. "Ambassaden & konsulat" [The Embassy & Consulate] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  3. "Title: Map of Sweden - Description". World Digital Library. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  4. "Amerikas Förenta Stater (USA)" [United States of America (USA)] (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 4 March 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  5. Thorsell, Staffan (2004). Sverige i Vita huset [Sweden in the White House] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier fakta. ISBN 91-85015-40-7. SELIBR 9649081.
  6. Sciolino, Elain; Greenhouse, Linda (4 November 1988). "WASHINGTON TALK: BRIEFING; Transition Note (2)". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  7. Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1915. p. 168. SELIBR 8261599.
  8. Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1964. p. 306. SELIBR 8261599.
  9. Sveriges statskalender. 1984 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1984. p. 341. ISBN 91-38-90400-4. SELIBR 3682782.
  10. "Groundbreaking". Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. Mattsson, Britt-Marie (15 May 2006). "Svenskt nybygge granne med Watergate" [New Swedish building next door to the Watergate]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  12. "House of Sweden – en ny svensk arena i USA" [House of Sweden - the new Swedish arena in the United States] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  13. "House of Sweden, Washington D.C." (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  14. "Full aktivitet i House of Sweden" [Full activity in the House of Sweden] (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 16 May 2006. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  15. "SFV välkomnar Island till House of Sweden" [SFV welcome Iceland to the House of Sweden] (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  16. "Washington D.C, ambassadörens residens" (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  17. "House of Sweden blir ny chefsbostad för Sveriges ambassadör i Washington" (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  18. Holm, Nils F (1977–1979). "Carl Lewenhaupt". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 22. National Archives of Sweden. p. 631. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  19. Kjellander, Rune (1977–1979). "Herman L F Lagercrantz". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 22. National Archives of Sweden. p. 93. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  20. Hildebrand, Bengt; Lindberg, Folke (1949). "Johan Jakob Albert Ehrensvärd". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 12. National Archives of Sweden. p. 496. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  21. Hemming, Sten J:r. (1953). "Gustaf Herman Eriksson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 14. National Archives of Sweden. p. 410. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  22. Janzon, Beatrice; Sjöström, Sten (14 May 2007). "Reinfeldts inbjudan en tidig invit" [Reinfeldt's invitation an early invite]. Dagens Eko (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  23. "Embassy of Sweden in USA". Today, we bid farewell to Karin... 2023-09-16. Archived from the original on 2023-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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