6 August 8-14, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | HISTORY LESSON What to know about Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s MAGA haven. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN L ong before Mar-a-Lago became the holy land for the MAGA move- ment and diehard supporters of Donald Trump, it belonged to a ce- real company heiress who was once the wealthiest woman in America. Marjorie Merriweather Post, head of the Postum Cereal Company, invited ambassa- dors, celebrities, royals, and diplomats to op- ulent balls at the Palm Beach island estate, which she built as a winter retreat in the 1920s. For decades under Post’s purview, Mar-a-Lago held elaborate dinner parties for the wealthy as well as events to raise money for her favorite charities. These days, the property is a members- only club for the rich in Palm Beach, Trump’s private residence, and a linchpin in the Make- America-Great-Again brand. Designated a National Historic Land- mark, the private club has more than 120 rooms along South Ocean Boulevard across from the Atlantic Ocean. It’s been the core of Trump’s social and personal life in South Florida dating back to 1985 when he ac- quired it from the Post Foundation. Since his rise to prominence in the GOP, Trump has used the property for fundraising galas where donors pay big bucks for photo ops with Trump and his family members. Outside the estate, crowds of followers decked out in Trump gear and waving MAGA flags constantly line the streets to support him. They congregate on a strip of parking spaces over the Lake Worth Lagoon in hopes of catching a glimpse of the former president riding to and from the nearly hundred-year- old Xanadu-like palace. Historic events in Trump’s presidential and post-presidential saga took place at Mar- a-Lago, including the FBI raid in the now- dismissed classified document-hoarding case against him — and that time he had a dinner powwow with rapper Ye and an ex- tremist podcaster. Below is a rundown of the iconic Palm Beach property, from its construction by Post in 1927 to its current status as Trump’s unoffi- cial 2024 election headquarters. What is Mar-a-Lago? Mar-a-Lago is a nearly 20-acre resort club and former president Donald Trump’s private res- idence on Palm Beach’s Billionaires’ Row. During his presidency, Trump hosted meetings at the property with international leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and then-president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro. The estate was often referred to as Trump’s “Winter White House,” as he would fre- quently fly back to Mar-a-Lago to take breaks from Washington, D.C. Mar-a-Lago was at the center of a criminal case brought against Trump in March 2023 over his storage of classified documents in- side a bathroom, ballroom, storage room, and his bedroom at the property. Prosecutors al- leged he illegally retained the documents and conspired to obstruct investigators’ probe in the matter. A fed- eral judge dis- missed the charges in July 2024, find- ing that the special counsel in the case was improperly appointed by the Justice Depart- ment. (The deci- sion is on appeal.) The resort, where ballrooms are adorned with gold leaf and chandeliers, has transformed into ground zero for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Trump has met with major GOP donors, vice-president hopefuls, and foreign politicians, including Hungarian nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán this election season. Where is Mar-a-Lago located? The club is located at 1100 South Ocean Bou- levard in ritzy Palm Beach between the Lake Worth Lagoon (part of the Intracoastal wa- terway) and the Atlantic Ocean. Its name, which means “sea to lake” in Spanish, pays homage to the location. What is Mara-a-Lago worth? The waterfront estate’s worth has been a con- tested topic. The former president has claimed Mar-a-Lago is worth more than $1 billion. In 2023, the Palm Beach County Property Ap- praiser valued the property at $37 million. When was Mar-a-Lago built? Mar-a-Lago was completed in 1927 after four years of construction for $7 million. It was a private residence of America’s onetime wealthiest woman — Marjorie Merriweather Post, who inherited ownership of Postum Ce- real Company and oversaw its growth under the General Foods moniker. The property, which has 58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms, was decorated with 36,000 Old Spanish tiles, 2,200 square feet of black and white marble from a Cuban castle, and “three boatloads of Dorian stone from Genoa, Italy,” according to the club’s website. The mansion also has three bomb shelters and 12 fireplaces. A prolific socialite, Post hosted extravagant parties and charity events such as the International Red Cross Ball, concerts, costume balls, and even a circus at the waterfront estate. Her obituary noted she constructed Mar-a-Lago because her original Florida home was too small for her parties. The U.S. Department of Interior desig- nated Mar-a-Lago a national historic site in 1969. It was later added to the National Regis- ter of Historic Places. Who owns Mar-a-Lago? When she died in 1973, Post left the property to the federal government hoping it would be used as a retreat for presidents. Owing to high maintenance costs, the government handed it back over to the Post Foundation, which put it up for sale in 1981. Trump later purchased the property and its furnishings in 1985 for around $10 million. It remained a private residence until 1995 when Trump created the Mar-a-Lago Club, a members-only Palm Beach resort. Trump re- stored the home, modernized the Gold & White Ballroom, and added five red clay tennis courts, a croquet court, a putting green, a fitness center, a spa, two retail shops, the 20,000-square-foot Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom, a beach club, and guest suites among other amenities. In 2020, Trump declared himself a Florida resident, designating Mar-a-Lago his perma- nent home. Does Mar-a-Lago have a golf course? The club does not have a golf course. How- ever, the Trump International Golf Club is just minutes away where Mar-a-Lago mem- bers can play. How big is Mar-a-Lago? The sprawling estate is located on 17 acres. Buildings on the property span more than 62,000 square feet across 126 rooms. The club is restricted to 500 members. Trump’s living quarters are closed off to the rest of the club. Is Mar-a-Lago open to the public? No, Mar-a-Lago is not open to the public. During an interview with Bloomberg at the club in June, Mar-a-Lago manager Bernard Lembcke said the initiation fee to become a member is $700,000. He noted in October the four remaining memberships up for sale will increase to $1 million. Annual dues re- portedly cost around $20,000. Some residents previously argued that Trump was not allowed to live at the club, pursuant to an agreement between the Town of Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago that prohib- ited club members from residing at the prop- erty for more than 21 days a year. In 2021, however, a town attorney determined that Trump was a “bona fide employee” of the club and could therefore reside there indefinitely. [email protected] Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in September 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images | METRO | TRUMP HAS USED THE PROPERTY FOR FUNDRAISING GALAS WHERE DONORS PAY BIG BUCKS FOR PHOTO OPS.
