Eero Saarinen’s Grade II-listed former US Embassy building in Grosvenor Square, London, has been reimagined as a hotel by David Chipperfield Architects with interiors by Joseph Dirand.
Set within the former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square in London’s Mayfair, The Chancery Rosewood has opened as a luxury hotel following an extensive restoration and retrofit by David Chipperfield Architects. Originally designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1960, the Grade II-listed building has been developed by Qatari Diar Europe and now houses a mix of hotel, leisure, dining and wellness facilities.
The original structure – noted for its distinctive diagrid facade, projecting roof slab and symbolic eagle sculpture by Theodore Roszak – has been retained and refurbished. New interventions, including interior fit-outs, rooftop additions and amenity spaces have been designed to sit in dialogue with Saarinen’s late-modernist architecture. David Chipperfield Architects led the restoration and adaptation of the building fabric, with interiors by French architect Joseph Dirand.
The reconfigured building includes 144 guest suites and public areas, eight restaurants and bars, a subterranean wellness centre, art programme, and conference facilities. Dirand’s interior scheme draws on a restrained material palette of natural stone, timber, metal and textile finishes. Floor-to-ceiling windows maximise daylight and offer views across Grosvenor Square and the wider urban context.
The most substantial architectural addition is a landscaped rooftop terrace serving a new penthouse level. Other key interventions include the insertion of a spa and wellness centre located across 1,119-square-metres of basement space. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg, it includes a 25-metre swimming pool, fitness centre, and a series of aromatherapy and dermatological treatment suites.
Guest accommodation includes a range of suites and four named ‘Houses’ – Saarinen House, John Adams House, Kennedy House, and Chancery House – referencing the building’s diplomatic history. Upper-level penthouses, Charles House and Elizabeth House, include private terraces, kitchens and dining spaces. A bespoke art programme curated by Cramer & Bell comprises more than 700 works by contemporary and established artists, with commissions by Sir Christopher Le Brun, Sussy Cazalet and Anthony Grace.
A suite of ground-level restaurants and cafés are accessible to the public, while the rooftop Eagle Bar incorporates an external terrace and music programme curated by a London-based collective. Event and conference facilities include a 750-capacity grand ballroom, alongside flexible meeting rooms, a pavilion bar, and breakout areas.
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