Little-known fact about Mar-a-Lago’s history shows why it is the perfect Winter White House
Being President is a stressful job.
That’s especially true if your name is Donald Trump and you not only have to deal with the intricacies of government, but also with a hostile press and obstructionist opposition party.
Just staying sane calls for a reasonable amount of escape from the never-ending commotion in Washington, D.C.
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images).
To that end, the concept of a “Winter White House” has become a tradition in American politics.
From Franklin Roosevelt’s “Little White House” in Warm Springs, Georgia to Barack Obama’s Plantation Estate in Honolulu, Hawaii, the idea of a presidential “home away from home” is one that captures the public imagination, making Americans feels like the Commander-in-Chief really is a human being who needs vacation time as much as anybody else.
President Franklin Roosevelt at his “Little White House” in Warm Springs Georgia in 1932. (Photo: NARA).
Considering Florida’s enviably warm climate, it’s no surprise the Sunshine State is among the top presidents’ retreats. Warren G. Harding, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon all called Florida home when the cold weather came rolling around to D.C.
President Kennedy and his family spend Easter vacation in Palm Beach, FL. (Photo: Screen Capture).
In fact, it was President Nixon’s property in Key Biscayne that was first honored with the “Winter White House” nickname.
President Richard Nixon’s “Winter White House” in Key Biscayne, FL. (Photo: Karl H. Schumacher, NARA).
Of all the secondary presidential residences, perhaps none has been more truly deserving of being called a Winter White House than President Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
Mar-A-Lago. (Photo: Shutterstock).
Boasting 126 rooms and 62,500 feet of space (not to mention a spa, ballroom, and five tennis courts), Mar-a-Lago gives the actual White House a run for its money.
(Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images).
President Trump’s favorite getaway spot is the fascinating collision of two very different worlds. Built from 1924 to 1927 by breakfast cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, Mar-a-Lago long stood as a symbol of Palm Beach’s uber-wealthy social elite.
But the estate’s transfer into the hands of the polemic real estate tycoon in 1985 made Mar-a-Lago something of an anomaly in the area. Trump represented the fast-moving world of the nouveau riche more than the old money crowd that dominated Palm Beach.
A Trump coat of arms hangs proudly at Mar-a-Lago. (Photo: Screen Capture).
When President Trump turned Mar-a-Lago into a private club in the ’90s, he went against norms at other local resorts by admitting blacks and Jews. He used his estate to host concerts by stars like Celine Dion and Billy Joel, prompting constant complaints from neighbors about violated noise ordinances.
Disgruntled locals felt the new resident upset the established order of a community that saw itself as a remnant of the Gilded Age.
(Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images).
But there’s one oft-overlooked fact about Mar-a-Lago that makes it a true case of fulfilled destiny.
Upon her death in 1973, Marjorie Post willed Mar-a-Lago to the National Park Service for use as–ironically–a Winter White House.
Mar-a-Lago circa 1960. (Photo: Florida Memory).
Presidents Nixon and Carter paid the property no attention. Eventually, the immense costs of maintaining the estate forced the government to return it to Post Foundation in 1981. Post’s descendants hoped to rid themselves of the financial burden by selling it.
Even after Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark, few potential buyers were interested. Until Donald Trump arrived on the scene.
Donald Trump shakes hands with President Reagan in 1987. (Photo: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library).
The flamboyant New York businessman wanted to break into Palm Beach, and unsuccessfully attempted to purchase and combine two apartments in the area.
When he learned Mar-a-Lago was up for sale, Trump offered the Post family $25 million. But the owners rejected him.
Not one to accept defeat, the future Commander-in-Chief paid KFC executive Jack C. Massey $2 million for the land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean. When Trump said he would use the land to build a house that would block Mar-a-Lago’s lush beach view, its property value declined.
The tiled patio at Mar-a-Lago. (Mary Jordan/The Washington Post via Getty Images).
As a result, Trump ended up nabbing the historic estate for just $7 million.
The “Art of the Deal” author managed to keep hold of Mar-a-Lago through two divorces, using it as his top destination for getting away from the Big Apple’s hustle and bustle.
(Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images).
When Trump acquired Mar-a-Lago in 1985, few people imagined that 20 years later he would run for President–much less actually win.
As a matter of fact, the entrepreneur and pop culture icon was asked about his presidential ambitions for decades–but repeatedly dismissed rumors he was entertaining a political career.
Fate has a strange way of working. By an unexpected turn of events, Marjorie Post’s vision of having her prized estate serve as a Winter White House came true.
Some things are just meant to be.
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2017/12/23/little-known-fact-mar-lagos-history-shows-perfect-winter-white-house-577729
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2017/12/23/little-known-fact-mar-lagos-history-shows-perfect-winter-white-house-577729
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