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Friday, February 3, 2017

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S WINTER WHITE HOUSE

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2209

MAR-A-LAGO:  AN ESTATE MEANT FOR PRESIDENTS

Palm Beach, Florida (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy spent many winter weekends at his father's estate here in Palm Beach while President Donald J. Trump will spend them at his own estate, Mar-a-Lago*.  White House spokesman, Sean Spicer referred to the estate as the "Winter White House" for the first time on January 31, 2017.

Mar-a-Lago, "sea-to-lake," was built between 1924 and 1927 for Marjorie Merriweather Post whose vision was for it, one day, to be a winter retreat for presidents of the United States.

Mrs. Post left her estate to the people of the United States but because of the high property taxes the government returned it to the Post estate in 1980. Donald J. Trump purchased the property in December 1985.  He first offered $28 million but ended up getting it for $5 million with an additional $3 million for the antiques and furniture.

The home, which sits on 17 acres of beachfront property, has 126 rooms and has 110,000 square feet.  It has 12 fireplaces, 3 bomb shelters and a club which brought in $29.7 million in revenues for the period June 2015-May 2016.  Club membership is $200,000 plus annual dues.

*Mar-a-Lago is located at 1100 S. Ocean Blvd. in Palm Beach, FL.  The home's exterior was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth & its interior by Joseph Urban. The property was declared a National Historic Site in 1980.  Its on-site club has a oceanfront swimming pool and 5 clay tennis courts.

SOURCE

"A History of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's American Castle," by Sam Dangremond, January 31, 2017, Town and Country Magazine, www.townandcountrymag.com/




Mar-a-Lago
1100 S. Ocean Blvd.
Palm Beach, FL
Photo by Jack Boucher (1967)
Library of Congress Image