News Desk

The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square a  Grade II listed building has been sold to the Qatari Diar company, the company which  acquired Chelsea Barracks.

"The Chancery building", in Grosvenor Square, was given a Grade II listing in October for its "modernist concrete facade", which means the new owners cannot alter its design.

The United States government will operate in Mayfair until the new "fortress" embassy is completed in south London in 2017.

Qatari Diar, the  property investment arm of the Qatar government, acquired the US Embassy a 600-room embassy, completed in 1957, one of the early works of modernist architect Eero Saarinen listed by English Heritage.