US Embassy in Berlin Gets the Final Go Ahead

After more than half a century, the US Embassy in Berlin will return to its historical location at Pariser Platz 2, next to the Brandenburg Gate.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2003 and completed three years later. The four-story complex, designed by the American firm Moore, Ruble and Yudell, will consist of several buildings of different heights and styles reflecting American architecture.

The agreement marks the end of years of conflict between the US government and German officials who could not agree on security measures for the building. The US plan for 30-meter space buffers and guard houses was seen by Berlin as being too disruptive to the historic fabric of Pariser Platz.

Security Concerns

Plans for the new embassy were first presented back in 1996. But after the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenia and Tunisia, the US introduced stricter security requirements for their overseas embassies. The Berlin embassy project was put on hold.

Originally the Americans insisted on a security buffer of 30 meters between the embassy building and all the surrounding streets. However, that plan ran up against fierce opposition by many in Berlin, who want to return Pariser Platz to its pre-war elegance.

The inability to come to an agreement put construction off for years. The suggestion was even floated at one point to locate the embassy outside the city limits.

A breakthrough in the stalemate came with a special dispensation by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who agreed that the required 30-meter buffer zone between the street and the building could be reduced to 25.

"Some people questioned whether this day would ever come," said US Ambassador Daniel Coats at the signing of the agreement on Thursday. He said he appreciated that fact that Berlin had taken the security concerns of the US into consideration.

Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit said the compromise solution ensured security without turning Pariser Platz into a fortress. "It will remain a living square," he said, "where people can move about freely."

Moving a Street

The Americans and Germans agreed on shifting the Behrenstrasse, which will run south of the embassy, 8 meters further south, thereby maintaining the required security buffer of 25 meters. The US will cover the costs of moving the street.

The new course of the Behrenstrasse will run partly over the area reserved for the future Holocaust memorial, although Ambassador Coats gave assurances that the memorial would not be negatively impacted. He gave no details, but said the plan had been approved by the Holocaust memorial foundation.