Architect	Skidmore Owing & Merrill
Date Built	Opened 1999
Location	Sussex Drive
Description
The US Embassy in Ottawa used to occupy a building across from the Parliament Buildings on Wellington Street.  It had been designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Cass Gilbert, who was also responsible for the United States Supreme Court building in Washington and the Woolworth Building in Manhattan.  When that building was opened in 1932, the embassy had only 29 employees.  Over the years that number grew significantly resulting in their work being located in a number of buildings and making it clear that the embassy needed a new home. The site chosen for the new building was between Sussex Drive and MacKenzie Avenue, not far from the National Gallery of Canada.  The US Embassy in Ottawa says on its website that the building it occupies, "... responds to the complex urban design contexts which surround it: The Byward Market area to the east; the Peace Keeping Monument, the National Gallery of Canada and the Ceremonial Parade Route to the north; the Parliament buildings, Major's Hill Park and the river to the west; and finally the York Steps and the city to the south. Symbolizing a bridge, the building stands for partnership and alliance."  It adds that, "... the building makes a statement about the United States and its significant relationship with Canada."