In the 1980s when Donald Trump was making his name as a real estate scion, the New York City borough of Manhattan was about to get an iconic erection that would become a staple of the city’s skyline and draw visitors from around the world for it’s architectural marvel: Trump Tower.
Located on Fifth Avenue, the top floor is a penthouse where the Trump children grew to become heirs of an empire that, when it was finished, was only just getting started.
“His children are incredibly able and devoted,” Hillary Clinton admitted at the first presidential debate. “…and I think that says a lot about Donald.”
Eric and Donald Trump Jr. stand with 1980s icon Hulk Hogan in Trump Tower (Screen grab)
The building — which lays claim to being America’s first luxury high rise — was designed by renowned architect Der Scutt. The iconic design, which popularized the now-common method of building mixed use residential and commercial space, and in 1983 the grand opening included 40 businesses.
Among them was Bonwit Teller, who since 1929 had operated at the location until The Donald bought it up and released his grand vision.
Under budget, and ahead of schedule
YouTube/Screen grab
The building broke ground in 1979, and for four years was completed at a breakneck pace that saw 95 percent of its luxury condominiums with residents four months after the building’s grand opening in February of 1983.
One of the central pitches of his campaign is that, as a businessman, Mr. Trump can do better with the federal budget and get infrastructure built with less money and in quicker timing than the current earmarked projects being pored over by Congress and its “incompetent” members.
If Trump Tower is any indicator of how the tycoon can work a deal to finish an amazing redevelopment, that may be one thing Politifact can’t contest him on.
Trump Tower’s luxury has withstood the test of time
Flickr/Krystal T
Although the building recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, the “Wow” factor has not escaped Trump Tower.
The condos still house some of the most rich and famous, and the atrium, which one writer for the New York Times famously called “preposterously lavish” and “showy, even pretentious,” in a 1982 review of the architecture, has become one of the city’s most renowned public spaces due to that very exuberance.
“It’s just about the number one tourist attraction in the world,” Trump recalls. “It’s a beautiful space. One of the most beautiful spaces in the world … The pink marble makes people look better, I’ve heard that for years. Where people feel they look better. In the pink marble. I don’t know why, I don’t know if it’s true, but they feel it.”
WATCH: Trump Tower Celebrating 30 Years