In 1989, Ambassador Derek Burney and staff moved into Canada’s spiffy new $89-million embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. with its sweeping view of the U.S. Capitol.
As a result, the Canadian government planned to sell the former chancery, a step that I thought was a mistake. I was a Canadian journalist working in Washington at the time and hoped the government might devise a more imaginative plan.
After all, when Vincent Massey became Canada’s first envoy and minister plenipotentiary to the United States, Canada came of age. Once Massey arrived in Washington in 1927 with his tricorn hat and presented his credentials to President Calvin Coolidge, Canada could speak for itself and no longer relied on Britain to handle diplomatic matters with the U.S.
That Dupont Circle chancery, Massey’s office and home, was on Embassy Row at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW. I decided I would set out to seek support and stop Canada’s plans to turn its back on our history. The mansion had been built by Clarence Moore, an industrialist who died on the Titanic. His wife, heiress of the Swift meat packing family, remarried and lived in the 80-room house until it was bought by Canada for a reported $475,000 (U.S.), including the furnishings.
To my mind, the architectural features, including exterior balconies and limestone balustrades, were stunning. On the main floor, the former dining room that served as Massey’s office, came with ornate carvings of fruit and flowers. Fireplaces had Wedgwood medallions, Tuscan chimneys, and Jacobean oak panelling.
Why did I care? Because this was one of only two government buildings outside Canada with any real historical resonance. The other was Canada House on Trafalgar Square in London. Even today, it remains in our hands, serving as a showcase for Canadian artists and architects.
In a May 1990 column in the Financial Post, I proposed that the former Washington chancery become a free trade centre where Canadian goods and services could be showcased to Americans. The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement had just come into force. What better way to promote the largest two-way trade relationship in the world?
Among my arguments for a free trade centre was that large companies had their own people operating in U.S. branch offices, but smaller firms based in Strathroy, Ont., or Esterhazy, Sask., didn’t have the same heft.
Such businesses could use the former chancery turned free trade centre to meet prospects, gather groups in conference rooms, rely on staff led by an executive director, and maybe stay overnight in a series of bedrooms upstairs that could be furnished for that purpose.
I met with the local Dupont historical association, thereby tapping into their expertise. A developer told me fire and building code upgrades would cost in the $1-million to $1.5 million range. A lawyer drew up plans for a corporate foundation. And they did that work pro bono.
But the bean counters at Treasury Board in Ottawa were eager to sell. They claimed the building was worth $21 million (U.S.). I did another column on the topic in December 1990 in which I reported that the response to my idea to save the chancery was overwhelmingly positive. Importantly, I had won the support of Ambassador Burney who backed my idea to put together a group of Canadian business leaders who undertook to raise up to $5 million for building restoration, additional staff, and running costs.
I wrote to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney outlining my concept: the government would continue to own the building but the private sector would cover all costs, including restoration, renovation, and the ongoing expenses of the free trade centre. I won Mulroney’s support as well as many members of his cabinet.
In February 1992, I flew to Ottawa to present my idea directly — but those anonymous bean counters had beaten me before I arrived. I was there when Finance Minister Don Mazankowski presented his budget in the House of Commons. Buried deep in that document was the news that the Canadian government would be selling three buildings located outside Canada: the consulate in Bordeaux, France; the cultural centre in Paris; and the Dupont Chancery. My three-year-long effort was all for naught.
A recession had arrived; real estate prices were falling.
Ottawa now hoped to get $9-$12 million (U.S.) for the chancery, about half the 1988 valuation of $21 million. That same month as the budget, Uzbekistan established diplomatic relations with the U.S., so bought the building from Canada for its embassy. The selling price was never disclosed, but based on other transactions in the neighbourhood, I believe it was about $7 million.
The treasury took in a few bucks, but we’ll never know how many cross-border private-sector trade deals were lost that would have been conducted at no cost to government. Small-minded minions rarely achieve great goals.
