Iran Embassy
Operated:
1959 -- 1970s​
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Location:
3003–3005 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
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Key Figures:
Ayatollah Khomeini, Ardeshir Zahedi, Princess Shahnaz, Henry Kissinger, Nancy Kissinger, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Michael Szell, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Frank Sinatra, Eric Parnes, The Shah
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HISTORICAL TIMELINE
Before the Iranian Revolution and the Iranian Hostage Situation in the U.S. Embassy, the Iran Embassy was the place to be in Washington D.C. To receive an invitation to a dinner party by Ambassador Ardeshir Zahedi was to dine in extravagance and wealth. Zahedi's parties were so desired that they attracted celebrities' such as: Andy Warhol, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Henry and Nancy Kissinger, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Gregory Peck, and Dame Margot Fonteyn.
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The building is done in the modernist style by Michael Szell, but Zahedi oversaw every inch of the building.
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Today, the building is a time portal to the 1970s and remains walled away from the world. Eric Parnes, photographer and artist, remains one of the few individuals to step into the walls.
"...Zahedi threw lavish dinners and galas at the embassy — think bowls of caviar and flowing champagne."