CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye

Diplomatic history and full roster

Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye

2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Shalom Baranes Associates arranged two brick-and-stone wings around a terraced court. The taller western pavilion, broad slate roofs and glazed links give the chancery its distinctive outline. President Süleyman Demirel inaugurated it on 23 April 1999.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1999verified The embassy records commissioning in 1997, completion in 1999 and inauguration on 23 April 1999. The catalogue year is the completion year.
  1. washington-emb.mfa.gov.tr
Acquired by TürkiyeNot Verifiedunverified Current Republic of Turkey ownership is verified. The exact site acquisition date was not established; construction and inauguration dates do not establish purchase.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  2. washington-emb.mfa.gov.tr
NeighborhoodSheridan-Kaloramaverified Common geographic neighborhood; DC assessment neighborhood field NBHDNAME is Kalorama.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
ArchitectShalom Baranes Associatesverified
  1. dcarchcenter.org
Rooms20–55 est.estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this office property, assume 45%–65% of the recorded 20,580 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. Above-grade rooms only; basement rooms are excluded. Estimated room range.
  1. github.com
  2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Floor area20,600 sq ftestimated; Estimated above-grade floor area from the current calibrated exterior model: three floorplates in each of three blocks (16.4×23.1 m,12.6×12.9 m and 15.6×29 m) plus one 12.4×13 m glazed connector floor. Multiply the sum by 0.78² for the model’s cadastral-frontage calibration, then convert square metres to square feet. Below-grade ceremonial and office space is excluded because its floorplates are not known. Open courtyards, terraces, canopies, roof slopes and landscape plinths are excluded.
  1. github.com
  2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Site area18,800 sq ftverified; Parcel total: 2505/0056. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
2026 Value$40.0Mverified; Parcel total: 2505/0056. 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

Turkish Ambassador’s Residence

1606 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Edward H. Everett’s limestone mansion faces 23rd Street with a curved Corinthian portico. Türkiye leased the house in 1932 and bought it in 1936. It housed the chancery until 1999 and continues as the ambassador’s residence.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1915verified; HABS DC-258, history section. HABS records construction from August 1910 to June 1915; the inspector described it as 99 percent complete on 4 June 1915. CAMA lists 1911 as the original year; the historical construction record gives a later completion.
  1. tile.loc.gov
Acquired by Türkiye1936verified; HABS documentary chain of ownership. Leased in autumn 1932. Purchase deed dated 13 April 1936, recorded 1 May 1936, Liber 6988, folio 59. The acquisition year denotes purchase; first diplomatic use denotes the lease.
  1. tile.loc.gov
NeighborhoodSheridan-Kaloramaverified Common geographic neighborhood; DC assessment neighborhood field NBHDNAME is Kalorama.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
ArchitectGeorge Oakley Totten Jr.verified
  1. tile.loc.gov
Rooms30–65 est.estimated; Planning estimate: rooms = building area × room-area fraction ÷ average room size. For this residential reception property, assume 55%–70% of the recorded 25,876 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. Covers the recorded building area; the interior has not been independently measured. Estimated room range.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Floor area25,900 sq ftverified; DC CAMA living gross building area
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Site area12,700 sq ftverified; Parcel total: 2507/0051. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
2026 Value$16.3Mverified; Parcel total: 2507/0051. 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

Historic Moments

A treaty opens Ottoman trade

1830-05-07

The United States and the Ottoman Empire sign a treaty of commerce and navigation. It regulates trade, provides for consuls, and opens a route to formal diplomatic relations the following year.

Diplomatic relations restored

1927-02-17

The United States and the Republic of Türkiye restored diplomatic relations through an exchange of notes in Ankara on February 17, 1927. The exchange ended a break that had begun during the First World War.

The Missouri brings an ambassador home

1946-04-05

USS Missouri brought the remains of Ambassador Mehmet Münir Ertegün from the United States to Istanbul. On April 5, 1946, his coffin was transferred ashore at Dolmabahçe as the visit became a visible gesture of American support for Türkiye.

Türkiye joins NATO

1952-02-18

Türkiye joined NATO on February 18, 1952, alongside Greece in the alliance’s first enlargement. Two days later, Foreign Minister Mehmet Fuat Köprülü represented Türkiye at the North Atlantic Council’s welcome in Lisbon.

An embargo strains the alliance

1975–1978

Congress halts military supplies after Türkiye’s intervention in Cyprus. Ankara restricts American operations at its bases, beginning a dispute that lasts until the embargo is lifted in 1978.

Parliament refuses a northern front

2003-03-01

Türkiye’s parliament declines to authorize a large American ground deployment for the invasion of Iraq. Washington loses its planned northern front, although later agreements permit more limited cooperation.

Chiefs of Mission

DiplomatOfficeRecorded serviceStatus
Black BeyHead of mission1867–1873Former
Aristaki BeyHead of mission1873–1883Former
Ferit PaşaHead of mission1883Former
Hüseyin Tevfik PaşaMinister1883–1886Former
Rüstem EfendiHead of mission1886–1887Former
Mavrovani BeyHead of mission1887–1896Former
Mustafa Tahsin BeyHead of mission1896–1897Former
Mehmet Rifat BeyHead of mission1897Former
Seyfettin BeyHead of mission1897Former
Edham BeyChargé d’affaires1897–1898Former
Ali Ferruh BeyHead of mission1898–1901Former
Şekip BeyMinister1901–1907Former
Mehmed Ali BeyHead of mission1907–1908Former
Münci BeyHead of mission1908–1909Former
Hüseyin Kazım BeyHead of mission1909Former
Alfred Rüstem BeyChargé d’affaires1909–1910Former
Yusuf Ziya PaşaHead of mission1910–1914Former
Ahmet Rüstem BeyAmbassador1914Former
Abdülhak Hüseyin BeyChargé d’affaires1914–1917Former
Ahmet MuhtarAmbassador1927–1934Former
Mehmet Münir ErtegünAmbassador1934–1944Former
Orhan Halit ErolHead of mission1944–1945Former
Hüseyin Ragıp BaydurAmbassador1945–1948Former
Feridun Cemal ErkinAmbassador1948–1955Former
Ali Haydar GörkAmbassador1955–1957Former
Suat Hayri ÜrgüplüAmbassador1957–1960Former
Melih EsenbelAmbassador1960Former
Bülend UşaklıgilAmbassador1960–1962Former
Turgut MenemencioğluAmbassador1962–1967Former
Melih EsenbelAmbassador1967–1974Former
Aydın YeğenHead of mission1974–1975Former
Melih EsenbelAmbassador1975–1979Former
Şükrü ElekdağAmbassador1979–1989Former
Nüzhet KandemirAmbassador1989–1998Former
Baki İlkinAmbassador1998–2001Former
Faruk LoğoğluAmbassador2001–2005Former
Nabi ŞensoyAmbassador2006–2010Former
Namık TanAmbassador2010–2014Former
Serdar KılıçAmbassador2014–2021Former
Hasan Murat MercanAmbassador2021–2024Former
Sedat ÖnalAmbassador2024–presentCurrent