The Biden administration has notified Congress that it intends to spend nearly $700 million to buy a former Dublin hotel, demolish it and construct new buildings to turn the site into the new U.S. Embassy in Ireland. The State Department also announced that it had broken ground on a new embassy complex in Saudi Arabia as part of a revamp of its diplomatic facilities in the Gulf.
Quick Read
- New U.S. Embassy in Dublin: The Biden administration plans to spend nearly $700 million to transform the former Jury’s Hotel in Dublin into the new U.S. Embassy in Ireland.
- Purchase and Total Cost: The State Department intends to buy the property in Dublin’s upscale Ballsbridge neighborhood for $171 million, with additional costs for design, construction, and furnishing totaling $688.8 million.
- Location and Size: The new embassy site, spanning 4.2 acres (1.7 hectares), is located close to the existing embassy, which is considered outdated and insufficient for operational needs.
- Facilities in the New Compound: The new embassy compound in Dublin will include the embassy building, a residence for Marine guards, support facilities, and parking.
- Employee Capacity: By 2028, the new embassy is expected to house 189 employees, with office space needed for at least 109 of them.
- Long-Term Planning: The U.S. has been planning to relocate its embassy in Dublin for over a decade, with the Ballsbridge site being the anticipated location.
- Groundbreaking in Riyadh: The State Department also announced the start of construction for a new U.S. embassy on a 27.5-acre (11.1-hectare) site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Acquisition and Costs in Saudi Arabia: The Riyadh site was acquired in early 2020, and the total cost for this project, along with a new U.S. consulate in Jeddah and plans for a new consulate in Dhahran, exceeds $1 billion.
- Strategic Diplomatic Revamp: These projects are part of a broader initiative to revamp U.S. diplomatic facilities in key locations, enhancing operational capacities and security.
The Associated Press has the story:
US to spend $700M on new embassy in Ireland, breaks ground on new embassy in Saudi Arabia
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
The Biden administration has notified Congress that it intends to spend nearly $700 million to buy a former Dublin hotel, demolish it and construct new buildings to turn the site into the new U.S. Embassy in Ireland. The State Department also announced that it had broken ground on a new embassy complex in Saudi Arabia as part of a revamp of its diplomatic facilities in the Gulf.
The department informed lawmakers late Monday that it plans to buy the former Jury’s Hotel in Dublin’s upscale Ballsbridge neighborhood for $171 million. Associated costs, including the design and construction of the new chancery and furnishing it, will bring the total to $688.8 million, according to a notice sent to Congress.
The 4.2 acre (1.7 hectare) property is located just a block from the existing U.S. embassy in the Irish capital, which dates to the 1960s and the State Department said “is well beyond its useful life, is too small for our operational needs, and is not functional in its layout.”
The new compound will include the embassy, a residence for Marine guards, support facilities and parking, the notice said. It did not give an estimate for when the project would be completed but estimated that there would be 189 employees at the new embassy in 2028, at least 109 of whom would require office space.
The U.S. has been planning to relocate its embassy in Dublin for more than a decade and the Ballsbridge site had been the expected site after Irish authorities approved zoning and other changes for it last year.
On Tuesday, the department announced that it had broken ground on construction of a new U.S. embassy on a 27.5-acre (11.1-hectare) site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that it acquired in early 2020. That cost, along with the construction of a new U.S. consulate in Jeddah and planning for a new consulate in Dhahran, was more than $1 billion.
