For a lot of Americans, the Mar-a-Lago estate was completely unknown before last year’s presidential race.
Since then, however, the gaudy bauble of a private club has taken up far too much of our news feed.
So I got curious. What the heck is this place, and who chose that tacky name?
I did some research, and this is what I have to share.
1. The Name Mar-a-Lago
The name was chosen by the estate’s first owner, the woman who had it built. She was Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune. Because the property stretches from the ocean to Lake Worth, she named it “Sea to Lake” in Spanish. It still sounds like a handpainted sign you’d see on the side of a double wide at the trailer park, but at least I know it wasn’t made up.
2. Why Was It Built?
Ms. Post, of cereal fame, wanted the estate to be used as a “Winter White House” by American Presidents and foreign diplomats and heads of state. (So that’s where Trump got the idea.) When she died in 1973, Post left the mansion to the U.S. government. Unfortunately, no presidents wanted to use it, and the government found that it was way too expensive to maintain. So they gave it back to the Posts.
3. So How Did Trump Get It?
This is where Trump’s true character comes in. Donald Trump had bought property in Palm Beach in the 1980’s. The resort town was famous for its snooty, old money residents, and it was resistant to brash “new money” types like the Trumps. When the ostentatious Mr. Trump came to town, he wanted to buy a piece of property to fit his lofty self-image.
Mar-a-Lago was for sale, with an asking price of $20 million. It was in need of restoration and renovation, so Trump lowballed his first offer at a mere $15 million. He was turned down.
His next step guaranteed that he would be despised by the rich and powerful elites in town, and he was.
Trump put an offer on a strip of land that lay between Mar-a-Lago’s border and the ocean. He threatened to build a high rise that would block the estate’s ocean view.
Immediately, offers on the property dried up, and the price dropped.
Trump ended up buying it for under $8 million, completely furnished with Post’s antiques and furniture.
What a prince.
4. Lawsuit Mania
Since buying the sprawling estate, Trump has been involved in multiple lawsuits against the county of Palm Beach. He has sued to have his property taxes lowered. He has sued to be allowed to fly his flag on a pole that exceeds the town’s statute. He’s sued multiple times because of airplane noise and potential runway expansion. Essentially, he’s made sure that the county and its news organizations always have him on their minds.
5. Tasty Trivia
While he was fancying the place up, Trump spent $7 million on gold leaf for his new ballroom. He spent $100,000 on gold plated bathroom fixtures. There is an elegant, old English style library filled with first editions of the classics. A former butler at the estate told the New York Times that no one in the Trump family has read a single volume.
To join the private club at Mar-a-lago, patrons used to pay $100,000 up front and $14,000 a year. That initial fee has doubled since Trump’s election.
Finally, it’s interesting to find out that there are three bomb shelters at Mar-a-Lago. While Trump didn’t build them, it’s notable that he didn’t take them out, either.
That makes me just a little bit nervous about how much time he does spend at his golden winter palace.
What does he know that we don’t?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qACwCTvqVAQ
Featured image via YouTube Screengrab.
