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75th Anniversary of Spaso House
My wife Lisa and I have the great privilege of calling Spaso House our home. It is an honor we share with the 22 other U.S. ambassadors and their families who have lived here during the 75 years it has been the residence of the U.S. envoy in Russia. Anyone who has walked through the marvelous Russian neoclassical rooms of Spaso cannot but be impressed by the beauty and grandeur of this architectural gem. With this new, short history of the house, we hope to share with friends and visitors some of the stories, personalities, and events that have made this house a part of history. Few American diplomatic buildings have been witness to the sweep of world events as this one has. In the past three quarters of a century, as the tide of our relations with the Soviet Union and Russia has risen and fallen, and as we finally move beyond the Cold War, Spaso House has been a place where people have connected and where the human side of diplomacy has played itself out. We hope you enjoy this look at Spaso House, produced as part of our celebrations of its 75th Anniversary as the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
This publication relies heavily on the earlier research of others, and we want to acknowledge the contributions that many of our predecessors have made in keeping the history of Spaso House alive. Special thanks to Rebecca Matlock – photographer, author and wife of Ambassador Jack Matlock – to whose previous work this volume owes a great deal. We acknowledge our debt to Dr. Amy Garrett, Keri Lewis and Anand Toprani of the Office of the Historian at the Department of State who drafted the revised text, unearthing many new details. Lastly, Lisa and I are grateful to the many extraordinary former residents of Spaso House, for sharing their stories and affection for this building that has played such a distinct role in the history of US-Russian relations.
Bill Burns and Lisa Carty
January 2008
