CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Diplomatic history and full roster

Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

Completed in 1959 for Peoples Life Insurance, the marble-clad Foggy Bottom building was acquired by Saudi Arabia in 1983. A taller central block joins its long office wings, with monumental entrances facing west and east. The embassy is documented here by February 1985.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1959verified Completed for Peoples Life Insurance Company. DC CAMA lists 1959 as the original year and 1980 as the effective age after improvements.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  2. www.cfa.gov
Acquired by Saudi Arabia1983verified Purchase year; the exact closing date remains unresolved. Embassy use is independently documented by February 1985.
  1. www.foggybottomassociation.org
  2. www.washingtonpost.com
NeighborhoodFoggy Bottomverified
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
ArchitectMills, Petticord & Millsverified Architect of the original building. HOK designed the 2026 alteration proposal.
  1. www.cfa.gov
Rooms95–230 est.estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this office property, assume 45%–65% of the recorded 86,824 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 250–400 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Covers the recorded building area; the interior has not been independently measured. Estimated room range.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Floor area86,800 sq ftverified; DC CAMA living gross building area, building 1 section 1
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Site area55,900 sq ftverified; Parcel total: 0019/0823. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
2026 Value$110.4Mverified; Parcel total: 0019/0823. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov

Complete property record

Saudi Ambassador’s Residence

644 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101

This wooded McLean estate is documented as the ambassador’s residence by 1988 and remains in Saudi embassy ownership. The main brick house dates to 1978; the estate was acquired in 1983.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1978verified Main residence. County records also identify a 1982 remodeling and a 1995 addition.
  1. icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
  2. www.fairfaxcounty.gov
Acquired by Saudi Arabia1983verified Purchased 22 March 1983; deed book 05747, page 0097. The sale and first documented diplomatic use are separate events.
  1. icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
NeighborhoodMcLeanverified; Normalize the locality label to match the UAE residence in McLean; the address itself retains Virginia.
  1. www.fairfaxcounty.gov
ArchitectNot Verifiedunresolved No original architect was established from the county record, exact-address searches or residence histories.
  1. icare.fairfaxcounty.gov
Rooms35–70 est.estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this residential reception property, assume 55%–70% of the recorded 29,022 sq ft is enclosed usable room area, with an average 300–450 sq ft per room. The range combines the low fraction with the larger room size and the high fraction with the smaller size, rounded outward to five rooms. Room allocation and average size are assumptions. Above-grade rooms only; basement rooms are excluded. Estimated room range.
  1. services1.arcgis.com
Floor area29,000 sq ftverified; Fairfax County SFLA summed across all three dwelling records on parcel 0321 01 0001 A:17,877+6,057+5,088=29,022 sq ft. This is reported above-grade living floor area. Basements are excluded consistently; the separately advertised 8,513 sq ft main-house basement is not selectively added while other basement areas remain unknown.
  1. services1.arcgis.com
Site area265,800 sq ftverified; Fairfax County recorded land square footage (SF), summed once across estate parcels. Current land working-roll TAXYR is 2027; the valuation is separately fixed to 2026. Uses the recorded area in square feet.
  1. services1.arcgis.com
2026 Value$24.4Mverified; Fairfax County 2026 APRTOT, land plus improvements, summed once across the identified estate parcels. Tax exemption does not imply zero value.
  1. services1.arcgis.com

Complete property record

Historic Moments

American geologists search for oil

1933

Saudi Arabia grants an oil concession to Standard Oil of California. After years of exploration and difficult drilling, the company finds oil in commercial quantities at Dammam in 1938.

A meeting aboard Quincy

1945-02-14

Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz meet aboard USS Quincy on Egypt's Great Bitter Lake. Their discussion ranges from Palestine and the future of Syria and Lebanon to agriculture and water, establishing an enduring reference point in Saudi–American diplomacy.

Access to Dhahran is renewed

1957-02-08

King Saud and President Eisenhower announce plans to extend American use of Dhahran airfield and strengthen Saudi forces. The arrangement links military assistance to continued access to a Saudi owned installation.

Oil supplies become diplomatic pressure

1973–1974

Saudi Arabia joins an Arab oil embargo against the United States during the 1973 Arab–Israeli war. Supply restrictions and rising prices carry the dispute into the wider world economy.

A broader economic partnership

1974-06-08

During Prince Fahd's Washington visit, the two governments announce a Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation. Four subcommissions extend cooperation into fields including education, manpower, and economic development.

A coalition in the Gulf

1990–1991

After Iraq invades Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United States agree to deploy U.S. forces to the kingdom. President George H. W. Bush visits in November 1990 as an international coalition assembles; the following year it expels Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Chiefs of Mission

DiplomatOfficeRecorded serviceStatus
Khalid bin Salman Al-SaudAmbassador2017–2019Former
Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki Al-SaudAmbassador2015–2017Former
Adel Al-JubeirAmbassador2007–2015Former
Turki Al-FaisalAmbassador2005–2007Former
Bandar bin Sultan Al-SaudAmbassador1983–2005Former
Faisal Al-HegelanAmbassador1979–1983Former
Ali AlirezaAmbassador1975–1979Former
Ibrahim Al-SowayelAmbassador1964–1975Former
Abdullah Al-KhayyalAmbassador1954–1964Former
Assad Al-FaqihMinisterRecorded 1946-02-08Former
Assad Al-FaqihAmbassador1949–1954Former
Reema Bandar Al-SaudAmbassador2019–presentCurrent