Interior of Dorchester House at the time it was the residence of the American Ambassador in London, Mr Whitelaw Reid. Located on Park Lane, it was designed by Lewis Vulliamy for Robert Holford, built on the site of an earlier house belonging to the Earls of Dorchester in 1851 - 53. It was the residence of Mr. Whitelaw Reid, American Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, from 1905-13 and served as a hospital during World War I. One of the most impressive and palatial mansions in London, It contained a fine picture gallery, library and was particularly noted for its grand staircase. The house was sold in 1929 and demolished to make way for the Dorchester Hotel.