Mar-a-Lago is President Donald Trump's primary residence, a resort club for the extremely
wealthy, and an estate with more history than you might expect. First built in 1927 by Post
cereal company heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, Mar-a-Lago has since gone on to become
one of America's most infamous properties.
According to a 2017 write-up in Town & Country magazine, Mar-a-Lago was designed to have
58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms, at the cost of $7 million — double its initial price
tag. In 2020, the same property would have cost around $105 million to build. But Marjorie
Post wasn't deterred by the high price. She had more than enough money.
Today, Marjorie Post isn't a household name. But in 1927, she was. Marjorie Post was heir
to Post Cereals, then known as Postum, inheriting it when she was just 27 years old. By all
accounts, she was a savvy businesswoman, but she liked to spend her money as much as make
it. She would eventually own one of the world's largest sailing yachts, a triplex penthouse
in New York, and an extensive art collection.
Marjorie Post was both a socialite and a philanthropist, not only creating a multitude of networking
opportunities among the rich and elite but also working on charitable contributions later
in life, particularly to do with World War II, when she opened the estate to veterans
in need of occupational therapy. It only makes sense that Mar-a-Lago — now known for its
high society members — would become a part of her legacy.
According to Timeline, Marjorie Post once complained in a letter to her cousin that
the cost of building Mar-a-Lago continued to rise and that her husband was less than
pleased. It's not surprising. She had just finished building a 10,000 square foot home
before she started the project, after all.
In the letter, she mentioned having to sell some of her Postum stock to cover the costs
— stock that would have undoubtedly continued rising, given the history of the cereal company.
Part of this had to do with the complex architecture she desired. Marjorie Post was known for uncompromising
standards, once stating,
"There are others better off than I am. The only difference is I do more with mine. I
put it to work."
When completed, Mar-a-Lago was a full 17-acre estate, with an 11,000 square foot house,
58 bedrooms, and 33 bathrooms. Inspired by palaces in Europe, and Spanish-Moorish architecture,
it was all built to discriminating specifications. Sometimes referred to as America's Xanadu,
it's known for being incredibly ostentatious — and, to many, to the extent that it crosses
the line into poor taste.
Mar-a-Lago wasn't always a retreat for the wealthy and politically powerful. In the 1940s,
shacks were erected throughout Mar-a-Lago for the support of returning veterans. Workshops
for leather, sculpting, furniture repair, printing, and carpentry were all created to
ease the transition, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. Later, Mar-a-Lago would
become the host to the Red Cross Ball, showing Marjorie Post's continued interest in charitable
acts.
Mental health treatment became critical following World War II, with many experiencing what
was then known as war trauma or combat exhaustion. The veterans themselves were not housed at
Mar-a-Lago but rather at The Breakers, operating as the Ream General Hospital. Nevertheless,
opening up her home to veterans is one of Post's lasting legacies.
Marjorie Merriweather Post, who passed away in 1973, had always wanted Mar-a-Lago to be
useful after she was gone. Her initial idea had been to give it to the state of Florida,
but the state declined. The Post Foundation then tried to give it to the federal government.
President Richard Nixon even scoped out the property in 1974, per the New York Times,
but the federal government ultimately declined the property in 1981.
From the government's perspective, this was absolutely the right move. The annual costs
of maintaining the estate would have been $1 million. While Mar-a-Lago could have been
a more luxurious Camp David, the truth of the matter was that it required a staff of
over 20 year-round gardeners alone, according to Town & Country. Ultimately, issues of cost
and zoning were too difficult to surmount.
Ironically, Mar-a-Lago was presented to the federal government as a "winter White House"
— something that it would, in a way, eventually become. A white elephant gift, it was eventually
put up for sale on the private market for $20 million.
"Big meeting at Mar-a-Lago. We call it the 'southern White House,' which it actually
is."
In 1969, Mar-a-Lago was established as a national historic site and briefly turned over to the
National Park Service. In 1972, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
But in 1980, it was returned by Congress to the Post Foundation. Once again, it was found
to be a little too expensive for anyone, including the National Park Service, to maintain.
Mar-a-Lago has remained a National Historic Landmark in name and is one of 2,500 such
landmarks in the United States. Both the location's architecture and its history were cited as
reasons for landmark status, and being turned over to the National Park Service was one
of the last moves to try to save the property from private sale. The architecture of the
property had influences from Spain, Venice, and Portugal, and the natural beauty of the
site and its history more than qualified it at the time.
So, everyone had turned down Mar-a-Lago. The state government, the federal government,
and even the National Park Service. All that was left is to put it up for private sale.
Ironically, this was probably because the Post Foundation, too, found it too expensive
to continue to maintain.
Donald Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985 for $10 million, far under the $20 million asking
price for the property. As Forbes reported, the $10 million for Mar-a-Lago parceled out
to $5 million for the house, $3 million for furnishings, and $2 million for beachfront
property across the street. Rumor had it that Trump had threatened to block Mar-a-Lago's
beach view after purchasing property between it and the beach, according to USA Today.
It's proven that he bought that property, and though the threats are unverified, with
this tactic, the purchase would have plummeted the property's value.
Regardless, the $10 million purchase reportedly made Trump about $22 million in revenue in
2018, yielding some substantial returns — and that's one of its worse off years. Trump has
also come under fire in the press for allegedly benefiting financially from the presidency,
with the acknowledgment that anytime President Trump visits Mar-a-Lago, the "revenue to Trump
from taxpayers from those kinds of visits can be in the tens of thousands of dollars,"
according to NPR.
"We very much appreciate your being at Mar-a-Lago."
The first high-profile lawsuit involving Mar-a-Lago was litigation over an illegal, 80-foot flag.
Donald Trump had the flag installed without a permit in the 1980s, and both its size and
location violated local ordinances. In 2006, as Jacksonville.com reports, Trump sued the
town for $10 million for their demands to remove the flag, eventually increasing this
to $25 million in damages. So, in 2007, the town fined Trump $1,250 a day. Ultimately
a settlement was reached; Trump moved the flag and contributed $100,000 to charities,
most of the amount given to veteran-related causes.
The second such lawsuit is a little more complex. In 1996, when Trump attempted to increase
the capacity of Mar-a-Lago, he was unable to do so because of noise and traffic restrictions.
He sued the town of Palm Beach, on the basis that he was being discriminated against for
running a non-segregated club — a club which included Black and Jewish members. It was
true that Mar-a-Lago was the first non-segregated club in the region, though it was never proven
that the city council was targeting Mar-a-Lago for that reason.
Finally, in 2015, there was a $100 million lawsuit that Trump filed over the fact that
planes kept disrupting the airspace over Mar-a-Lago. But this lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed.
In 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley spent their honeymoon in Mar-a-Lago. But while
Michael Jackson may have arguably been the most famous guest, there were many celebrities
who visited, even if they may not have maintained $100,000 memberships.
Other celebrities seen at Mar-a-Lago over the years included: Elton John, Rod Stewart,
William Shatner, James Taylor, and Woody Allen. Notably, those who attend Mar-a-Lago's festivities
don't seem to have very much in common, ranging in industry and politics. With Mar-a-Lago
having a nearly hundred-year reputation for socializing and network-building, it's understandable
why that might be.
Interestingly, one person not welcome at Mar-a-Lago was the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. In The Grifter's
Club: Trump, Mar-a-Lago, and the Selling of the Presidency, it's alleged that he was a
member for some years, but was ultimately banned by Trump for hitting on the teenage
daughter of a guest. Mar-a-Lago had initially denied the claims that he was a member.
It costs $2,000 to dine at Mar-a-Lago per year, but you might not want to. The kitchens
received nearly 80 health and safety violations between 2014 and 2017, according to the Los
Angeles Times. These included foods held at inappropriate temperatures, food well past
its expiration, and mold in the ice machine.
There were also slabs of missing concrete and a lack of smoke detectors for the hearing
impaired, both of which could combine into a uniquely dangerous situation. In an estate
that makes millions per month, these are pretty dramatic oversights.
Of course, there's a reason why Mar-a-Lago is still open; it eventually did pass its
health and safety inspections. And, interestingly, in 2015, it had only experienced two violations,
while in 2016 there were 11 — signs that the resort had been slipping well before the
presidency.
Mar-a-Lago requires an initiation fee to be a member. While it was $100,000 for some time,
it was brought up to $200,000 in 2017. Few are aware of exactly what perks this membership
entails; the information, and the member list, is exclusive.
Membership requests were much higher after Trump became president, and the initiation
fee was increased to $200,000 at that time, even though the president is not intended
to financially benefit from the office. The resort, on the other hand, stated that it
had been considering the increase for some time. In addition to the $200,000 that members
pay, members also hand over $14,000 in annual dues. So, it isn't just a one-time fee, but
also a recurring charge.
Since Mar-a-Lago doesn't have its own golf course, what's included? There are privileges
at Trump's own golf courses, access to two pools, tennis courts, a croquet court, a Beach
Club, a discount on guest suites, the main house, and the dining area. The networking
opportunities and prestige, however, are likely the main draw.
Quite a few speculate that Mar-a-Lago could be underwater by 2100, with simulations by
the National and Oceanic Atmospheric Administration depicting it being 10 feet underwater. Findings
indicate that South Florida sea levels could rise by 3 feet by 2050 or 7 feet by 2100,
both of which could cause significant damage. That's not too far off — it could begin
taking a dramatic toll only 30 years from now.
South Florida has already been experiencing some significant damage due to flooding, and,
in 2017, environmental experts testified at a hearing on climate change that Trump's resorts
could eventually be damaged by the phenomenon. They did so based on the idea that Trump would
be generally more willing to react to environmental concerns if they directly impacted him and
his investments.
They didn't succeed. But, with a 400 percent increase in high-tide flooding in South Florida
from 2006 through 2016, it's likely that it's only a matter of time. If nothing else, it
will be an interesting end to a legacy that was first begun by a socialite searching to
build the perfect home.
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