Trump Plaza (New York City)

Last updated

Trump Plaza
Trump Plaza NYC.jpg
Trump Plaza in 2012
Trump Plaza (New York City)
General information
StatusCompleted
Type Cooperative apartments and retail
Address167 East 61st Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Town or cityNew York City
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 40°45′48″N73°57′57″W / 40.763298°N 73.965703°W / 40.763298; -73.965703
Named for Donald Trump
Construction started1982
OpenedMarch 1984
Renovated2016
Cost$125 million
Height366 feet (111.6 m) [1]
Technical details
Floor count36
Design and construction
Architect(s) Philip Birnbaum
Structural engineerRosenwasser / Grossman Consulting Engineers, P.C. [1]
Other information
Number of units154 [2]

Trump Plaza is a 36-story cooperative apartment and retail building at 167 East 61st Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. [1] The property, designed by Philip Birnbaum and named after Donald Trump, opened in 1984 at a cost of $125 million.

Contents

History

Construction

Construction of Trump Plaza began in 1982, at the intersection of East 61st Street and Third Avenue. [1] Donald Trump negotiated a 40-year deal with the owner of the land in which the building would pay an annual rent of approximately $1.2 million until 2023. [3] [2] Trump chose to name the project Trump Plaza to capitalize on the marketing success of his nearby Trump Tower. The project, initially expected to cost $50 million, was to contain 180 cooperative apartment units, located above 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m2) of retail space that would be situated on the ground floor. [4]

Two project offices on East 61st Street, made of brownstone, were to be converted into apartments after the main structure was completed. [4] Trump said that despite the popularity of condominiums in New York at that time, "I wanted to buck the trend. There are a lot of people who want to live in a cooperative. […] Many people find a co-op's exclusivity, the unity it gives a building, comforting. This exclusivity can be used negatively, but it has positive aspects as well." [4] Units would range from 1,200 sq ft (110 m2) to 1,900 sq ft (180 m2), with prices between $285,000 and $1 million. [4]

Sales began in April 1983, with initial prices starting at $450 per square foot. [5] In May 1983, a construction worker died after falling 33 stories while working on the project. [6] By July 1983, starting prices for apartment units in the project had increased six times, ultimately reaching up to $1,200 per square foot; 50 percent of the apartments had been leased up to that point. [5] The building cost $125 million to construct. [7]

The concrete and concrete workers union labor for the building was supplied by mobster Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno. Salerno and Trump were linked through Roy Cohn, who represented both of them. In 1986 Rudy Giuliani and the SDNY indicted Salerno on racketeering linked to the bid rigging of concrete and construction on Trump Plaza, as well as other buildings built in the era. [8]

Opening and operation

Trump Plaza was opened in March 1984, with 145 units. [9] Notable residents included former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown Jr. and his wife Phyllis George, as well as Dick Clark and Martina Navratilova. [7] At the time of opening, Trump owned 90 percent of the building partnership. [7] Apartment owners, under the name of Trump Plaza Owners Inc., sued Trump in February 1990, claiming the building contained various defects. The suit sought for Trump to pay $10.7 million and to have his name removed from the building. [10]

As of 1999, Trump still owned a few apartment units, as well as retail space and the property's parking garage. [11] As of 2015, the property is operated by Douglas Elliman Property Management. [3] In 2016, to remain competitive with newer residential projects, Trump Plaza's basement gym facility was converted into a children's playroom, while the gym was relocated to a space on the first and second floor that was previously used as an apartment by the building superintendent. [12]

Design

Trump Plaza was designed by Philip Birnbaum and was built out in a Y-shape. [4] The structure is made of limestone, glass, and metal, [13] and includes five apartments on each floor, [14] while the building includes a total of 340,000 sq ft (32,000 m2). [4] Trump, who sometimes exaggerated the number of floors in his buildings, stated that Trump Plaza was 39 stories high while it is actually 36 stories. [15]

Although Birnbaum was known for simple building designs in New York City, architectural critic Paul Goldberger stated that Trump Plaza "looks as if it might be the finest building in Caracas – all of this sleekness is chic in a particularly Latin way, quite uncharacteristic of New York, despite the lavish use of limestone." Goldberger also stated that no one "could possibly mistake it for yet another Third Avenue high-rise." [14] Goldberger later called it "a better and more striking building than the typical Third Avenue brick box, but it is nothing if not showy." [16]

Birnbaum was subsequently hired to design a nearby high-rise condominium known as the Savoy, to be built at the opposite intersection corner diagonally across from Trump Plaza. Birnbaum gave the Savoy a similar design to Trump Plaza, as he envisioned the buildings as the gateway to upper Third Avenue. In April 1984, Trump sued Birnbaum and Morton Olshan, owner of the Savoy, for allegedly copying the design of his building. Trump sought $60 million in damages. [17] [18] A settlement was reached in October 1984, after Olshan agreed to have his building redesigned. The Savoy was still under construction at the time. [19] [13] [20] [21]

In 2016, Steve Cuozzo of the New York Post stated that the area around Trump Plaza had been "a lost highway of tenements and boxy, bland apartment buildings" and that the project "inspired four more similarly configured towers on the avenue and lent some badly needed class to uptown east of Lexington Avenue." [22]

Retail

An Italian restaurant named Alo Alo, owned by film producer Dino De Laurentiis and Brazilian business partner Ricardo Amaral, opened inside the building in 1985. By 1989, the restaurant had been sold. [23] [24] [25] In 2004, Select Comfort signed a 10-year lease to operate a 2,400 sq ft (220 m2) furniture store inside the building, replacing a restaurant known as Commissary. [26] [27] In 2007, western retailer Billy Martin's USA opened a new 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) store inside Trump Plaza. [28] In 2012, the 2,450 sq ft (228 m2) Lobel's Kitchen opened inside the building. [29] By April 2014, the Lobel's Kitchen space was for lease at a cost of $600,000 per year. [30] Within two months, American Apparel planned to open a store in the former Lobel's space. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The San Remo</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The San Remo is a cooperative apartment building at 145 and 146 Central Park West, between 74th and 75th Streets, adjacent to Central Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was constructed from 1929 to 1930 and was designed by architect Emery Roth in the Renaissance Revival style. The San Remo is 27 stories tall, with twin towers rising from a 17-story base. The building is a contributing property to the Central Park West Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places–listed district, and is a New York City designated landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Hotel</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Plaza Hotel is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, and is between 58th Street and Central Park South, at the southeastern corner of Central Park. Its primary address is 768 Fifth Avenue, though the residential entrance is One Central Park South. Since 2018, the hotel has been owned by the Qatari firm Katara Hospitality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside South, Manhattan</span> Building complex in New York City

Riverside South is an urban development project in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Developed by the businessman and later U.S. president Donald Trump in collaboration with six civic associations, the largely residential complex is on 57 acres (23 ha) of land along the Hudson River between 59th Street and 72nd Street. The $3 billion project, which replaced a New York Central Railroad yard known as the 60th Street Yard, includes multiple residential towers and a extension of Riverside Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump Tower</span> Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

Trump Tower is a 58-story, 663-foot-tall (202 m) mixed-use condominium skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well as the penthouse residence of its developer, the businessman and later U.S. president Donald Trump. Several members of the Trump family also live, or have lived, in the building. The tower stands on a plot where the flagship store of the department-store chain Bonwit Teller was formerly located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">731 Lexington Avenue</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

731 Lexington Avenue is a 1,345,489 sq ft (125,000.0 m2) mixed-use glass skyscraper on Lexington Avenue, on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 2004, it houses the headquarters of Bloomberg L.P. and as a result, is sometimes referred to informally as Bloomberg Tower. The building also houses retail outlets, restaurants and 105 luxury condominiums. The residence section of the building is known as One Beacon Court and is served by a separate entrance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Tower (Manhattan)</span> Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

Metropolitan Tower is a mixed-use skyscraper at 146 West 57th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1987 and designed by SLCE Architects, the building measures 716 ft (218 m) tall with 68 stories. Metropolitan Tower is designed with a black-glass facade, with a rectangular 18-story base topped by a 48-story triangular tower. It was developed by Harry Macklowe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump International Hotel and Tower (New York City)</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Trump International Hotel and Tower, originally the Gulf and Western Building, is a high-rise building at 15 Columbus Circle and 1 Central Park West on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. It was originally designed by Thomas E. Stanley as an office building and completed in 1970 as the headquarters of Gulf and Western Industries. In the mid-1990s, a joint venture composed of the General Electric Pension Fund, Galbreath Company, and developer Donald Trump renovated the building into a hotel and residential tower. The renovation was designed by Philip Johnson and Costas Kondylis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Tower</span> Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

Olympic Tower is a 51-story, 620 ft-tall (190 m) building at 641 and 645 Fifth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the mixed-use development contains condominium apartments, office space, and retail shops. The tower is named after Olympic Airways, whose president Aristotle Onassis jointly developed the tower with the Arlen Realty and Development Corporation between 1971 and 1974. It was the first skyscraper to be constructed within a special zoning district to encourage retail and mixed-use development along Fifth Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza is a 439-room hotel in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Designed by architect Kevin Roche of the firm Roche-Dinkeloo and opened in 1976, the hotel is located at 44th Street and First Avenue, near the headquarters of the United Nations. It occupies part of the ground floor and top 13 stories of One and Two United Nations Plaza, a pair of 39-story skyscrapers also designed by Roche-Dinkeloo. The UN Plaza Hotel is owned by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and operated by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Part of the hotel's interior is a New York City designated landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Motors Building (Manhattan)</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The General Motors Building is a 50-story, 705 ft (215 m) office tower at 767 Fifth Avenue at Grand Army Plaza on the southeast corner of Central Park, in Manhattan, New York City. The building occupies an entire city block between Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 59th Street, and 58th Street on the site of the former Savoy-Plaza Hotel. It was designed in the International Style by Edward Durell Stone & Associates with Emery Roth & Sons and completed in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump Plaza (Jersey City)</span> Skyscraper in Jersey City, New Jersey

88 Morgan Street, formerly known as "Trump Plaza", is the first of two apartment complex buildings to be built in Jersey City, New Jersey. Trump Plaza Residences is 532 ft tall (162 m) and has 55 floors, and is the 7th tallest residential building in New Jersey. In 2020, the Trump name was removed from the properties and has been renamed the 88 Morgan Street Condominiums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 Central Park West</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

15 Central Park West is a luxury residential condominium along Central Park West, between 61st and 62nd Streets adjacent to Central Park, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was constructed from 2005 to 2008 and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in the New Classical style. The building consists of two sections: "the House", a 19-story structure occupying the eastern part of the city block, and "the Tower", a 35-story structure occupying the western part of the block. It has approximately 200 apartments, of which two-thirds are in the Tower and one-third are in the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One57</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

One57, formerly known as Carnegie 57, is a 75-story, 1,005 ft (306 m) supertall skyscraper at 157 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The building has 92 condominium units above a 210-room Park Hyatt Hotel that serves as the flagship Hyatt property. The tower was developed by Extell Development Company and designed by Christian de Portzamparc. It was the first ultra-luxury condominium tower along a stretch of 57th Street called Billionaires' Row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Kaskel</span> American real estate developer and hotelier

Alfred Kaskel (1901–1968) was an American real estate developer and hotelier, best known for founding Doral Hotels and Resorts, Doral Construction, and Carol Management, which developed, owned, and managed a number of hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings in New York City, Florida, Chicago, and Boston, primarily from the 1930s to the 1990s. This included more than 20,000 rental apartments.

Donald Trump grew up in Jamaica Estates, an affluent neighborhood in Queens, New York City. In 1971, Trump moved into a studio in Manhattan. From 1983 until 2019, Trump's primary residence was the three-level penthouse on the top floors of Trump Tower; in 2019, he declared Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, to be his primary residence. During his first presidency from January 20, 2017, until January 20, 2021, Trump resided at the White House in Washington, D.C. and began living at the residence again on January 20, 2025 during his second presidency.

The Plaza is a twin-tower condominium property located along the Intracoastal Waterway in West Palm Beach, Florida. The property was developed by Robert Armour and Michael Guider through their company, Armour Guider Development Corporation. Construction of the project, originally known as The Plaza, began in 1981. After several construction delays, The Plaza opened in October 1985, although Armour had only minimal success in selling the condominium units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Avenue Plaza</span> Office building in Manhattan, New York

Park Avenue Plaza is an office building at 55 East 52nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 575-foot (175 m) tall, 44-story building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) for development company Fisher Brothers and was completed in 1981. Despite its name, the building is not actually on Park Avenue, although it abuts the Racquet and Tennis Club building along the avenue. Rather, the building is in the middle of a city block, with entrances on 52nd and 53rd Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sofia</span> Building in Manhattan, New York

The Sofia is a condominium building at the corner of Columbus Avenue and 61st Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was constructed from 1929 to 1930 and was designed by the firm of Jardine, Hill & Murdock in the Art Deco style for Kent Automatic Garages. The Sofia is 27 stories tall; the first nine stories above the ground level are used as offices, while the top 17 stories contain residential condominiums. The building is a New York City designated landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump Tower penthouse of Donald Trump</span> Primary New York City residence of Trump family

The penthouse apartment of Donald Trump at the Trump Tower was the primary residence of Trump and his family from the tower's construction in 1983 until 2019 when Trump moved his primary residence to Mar-a-Lago. The original decorator of the apartment was Angelo Donghia; it was subsequently remodelled in gold by Henry Canversano. The stated size of the apartment has been subject to various estimates by Trump.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Trump Plaza Apartments". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Carlyle, Erin (November 6, 2014). "Manhattan's Trump Plaza Apartment Owners Face $1 Million Fee". Forbes . Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Satow, Julie (June 12, 2015). "Rising Costs a Concern for Land-Lease Building Owners". The New York Times . Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Daniels, Lee A. (January 7, 1983). "About Real Estate; Upper East Side Attracts Two Mixed-Use Projects". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Wedemeyer, Dee (July 3, 1983). "A Turn in the Market for New Apartments". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Worker Is Killed In 33-Story Fall". The New York Times. May 3, 1983. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Geist, William E. (April 8, 1984). "The Expanding Empire of Donald Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  8. ↑ Hettena, Seth (December 6, 2019). "The Real-Life Mob Families of 'The Irishman'? Donald Trump Knew Them". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Oser, Alan S. (December 15, 1985). "Retailers' Locations; Movement at the Alexander's Site". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017. Trump Plaza, a 145-unit cooperative on the west side of the avenue between 60th and 61st Street, opened in March 1984 […].
  10. ↑ "Trump Co-Op Tenant Suit Cites Poor Workmanship" . The Press of Atlantic City . February 15, 1990. Retrieved July 20, 2017– via NewsLibrary.
  11. ↑ Salkin, Allen (April 18, 1999). "Trump: The Smarts of the Deal". New York Post . Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ Kaufman, Joanne (April 22, 2016). "Insert a Gym, Then a Lounge: Older Buildings Add Amenities". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Goldberger, Paul (October 25, 1984). "Look-Alike Buildings: The Third Ave. Case". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Goldberger, Paul (August 16, 1984). "Defining Luxury in New York's New Apartments". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  15. ↑ Cheshes, Jay (November 30, 2001). "Edifice Complex: Does The Donald have a size problem?". New York . Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  16. ↑ Goldberger, Paul (January 31, 1988). "Trump: Symbol of a Gaudy, Impatient Time". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Postings; Building Higher". The New York Times. April 22, 1984. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Builder Donald Trump Monday sued his former architect". United Press International . April 30, 1984. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Accord Is Reached In Trump Dispute". The New York Times. October 10, 1984. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  20. ↑ Goldberger, Paul (December 30, 1984). "Design Consciousness Reached a New High". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  21. ↑ Dunlap, David W. (August 27, 1998). "What Next? A Fee for Looking?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  22. ↑ Cuozzo, Steve (February 7, 2016). "How Donald Trump helped save New York City". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  23. ↑ Duka, John (February 5, 1985). "Notes on Fashion". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ Miller, Bryan (June 21, 1985). "Restaurants". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  25. ↑ Miller, Bryan (January 13, 1989). "Restaurants". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  26. ↑ Weiss, Lois (March 3, 2004). "Another Mogull Trumps Trump". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  27. ↑ Weiss, Lois (March 26, 2003). "Flag-Waving Philips Seals Chelsea Deal". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  28. ↑ Kapner, Suzanne (July 3, 2007). "Wild West Duds Hit Trump Plaza". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  29. ↑ Weiss, Lois (November 14, 2012). "A $izzling sum for Scoop bldg". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  30. ↑ Cuozzo, Steve (April 28, 2014). "Old Navy site in Herald Square draws eye-popping price". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  31. ↑ Cuozzo, Steve (June 23, 2014). "3 WTC gets a boost: Leasing spurt improves Silverstein's chances". New York Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.