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Mar-a-Lago became a symbol of the luxury of former US President Donald Trump. Photo/Reuters
WASHINGTON – Mar-a-Lago, a luxury resort owned by former President of the United States (US) Donald Trump, became the center of attention for being the site of an FBI raid. Mar-a-Lago has also become the center of world attention because it is a dream location for anyone with money.
“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently surrounded, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump wrote in a lengthy statement about the raid. his house. “After working and cooperating with relevant Government agencies, this sudden raid on my home was neither necessary nor inappropriate.”
Here are 7 facts about Mar-a-Lago, the luxury resort owned by former United States (US) President Donald Trump.
1. Originally Called the Winter White House
Photo/Reuters
It all started in 1973, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post donated her 128-room Palm Beach home to the US government for use as a “winter White House.” Post, who inherited the Postum Cereal Company from her father and later became the richest woman in America, completed construction of Mar-a-Lago in 1927 at a cost of $7 million.
Architects Marion Sims Wyeth and Joseph Urban designed the estate, which sits on 20 acres of land bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway on the other.
Post wanted his home for the American government after his death with the intention that it be used as a warm weather retreat for the president. But in 1981 the government returned Mar-a-Lago, which had been declared a National Historic Place a year earlier, to the Post Foundation, citing its high annual maintenance fee of USD 1 million.
2. Purchased Donald Trump
Photo/Reuters
The billionaire’s first bid for the property was $28 million, but was turned down. But he held on and the market slumped. Trump eventually acquired the property for a relatively cheap $5 million in 1985, and paid an additional $3 million for Post antiques and furniture.
In addition to Mar-a-Lago, Post has a sizeable real estate portfolio that includes the Adirondacks rest area, Long Island home, a self-designed yacht that was the largest privately owned yacht at the time. Additionally, there is Hillwood, now a house museum containing his extensive jewelery collections, Sèvres porcelain, Fabergé and French masterpieces.
3. Has a Gold Sink
Launching, townandcountrymag, Trump turned Mar-a-Lago into a private club in 1995 and built a 20,000-square-foot ballroom with gold sheets worth USD 7 million.
He confiscated the coat of arms that British authorities had given in 1939 to Joseph Edward Davies, Post’s third husband, then replaced “Integrity”, the Latin word for integrity, with “Trump”.
Trump also spent $100,000 on four gold-plated sinks. Basically, like his Fifth Avenue penthouse, there is gold everywhere you look.
