Trump Tower is a 58-story mixed-use skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It serves as the headquarters for the Trump Organization and includes a penthouse residence formerly occupied by Donald Trump and his family. The building is located on Fifth Avenue, between East 56th and 57th Streets, on the former site of the Bonwit Teller department store. Its construction solidified Trump's presence in the New York City skyline and became a symbol of his real estate empire.
Donald Trump rebuked Pope Leo XIV for his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding Iran. The dispute marks an escalation in tensions between Trump and the pontiff.
In 1929, the Bonwit Teller flagship store was built on the site where Trump Tower would later be constructed.
In 1963, Ada Louise Huxtable became The New York Times architecture critic, a position she held until 1982.
In 1977, John Hanigan became the new chairman of Genesco and looked to sell off some assets to pay debts, leading to Trump's offer to buy the Bonwit Teller building.
Trump hired Der Scutt as the architect of Trump Tower in July 1978, a year before the Bonwit Teller site was purchased.
The Trump Organization closed Bonwit Teller's flagship store in May 1979, and the store was demolished by the next year.
In December 1979, Penelope Hunter-Stiebel and Donald Trump agreed that the Art Deco limestone bas-relief sculptures and the grille on the Bonwit Teller Building would be removed and donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Construction on Trump Tower began in 1979.
In 1979, Ada Louise Huxtable commented on the proposed faceted shape of Trump Tower, saying it was a dramatically handsome structure.
In 1979, The New York Committee for a Balanced Building Boom had opposed the planned rezoning over fears Fifth Avenue's character would be changed by the construction of skyscrapers.
In early 1979, the Trump Organization bought the Bonwit Teller flagship building from Genesco for about $10 million.
In February 1980, Donald Trump wrote a letter stating that demolition would begin in approximately three to four weeks and that the contractor was instructed to save the artifacts.
On April 16, 1980, the grille and sculptures from the Bonwit Teller Building were removed and destroyed. Trump said this was due to hazard concerns, expense, and potential construction delays.
In September 1980, Anthony "Tony Raf" Rafaniello was hired for the Trump Tower project and spent a week planning a three-phase construction schedule.
Barbara Res was hired as the construction executive in October 1980. She was the first woman assigned to oversee a major New York City construction site.
In a November 1980 New York Magazine article, Donald Trump said the decor of his Grand Hyatt New York included "real art, not like the junk I destroyed at Bonwit Teller."
In 1990, Trump testified he was unaware that 200 undocumented Polish immigrants, some of whom lived at the site during the 1980 New York City transit strike, and worked round-the-clock shifts, were involved in the destruction of the Bonwit Teller building and the Trump Tower project.
Trump Tower was topped out by July 1982, two-and-a-half years after the start of construction.
In 1982, Ada Louise Huxtable ended her term as architecture critic at The New York Times after having been in the role since 1963.
In 1982, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger contrasted the "reflective" Trump Tower with the nearby postmodern 550 Madison Avenue building.
On February 14, 1983, the grand opening of the Trump Tower atrium and stores was held. Apartments and offices followed shortly after.
In May 1983, a glass windowpane fell from a crane installing windows on Trump Tower, hitting two pedestrians, one of whom later died from a skull fracture.
By August 1983, the construction loan for Trump Tower had been paid off using the $260 million revenue from the sale of 85% of the 263 condominium units. Ninety-one units, representing over a third of the tower's total housing stock, had sold for more than $1 million, and the first residents were set to begin moving in.
In August 1983, a New York Times reporter noted that negative comments about Donald Trump were largely off the record. By this time, forty high-end outlets had opened stores in the tower.
In November 1983, Trump Tower's atrium, apartments, offices, and stores were opened on a staggered schedule. At first, few tenants were willing to move into the commercial and retail spaces, but the residential units sold out quickly.
On November 30, 1983, the forty ground-level stores in Trump Tower opened for business.
In 1983, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger said the tower was "turning out to be a much more positive addition to the cityscape than the architectural oddsmakers would have had it".
In 1983, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the Trump Organization concerning unpaid pension and medical obligations to labor unions whose members helped build the towers.
In 1984, Ada Louise Huxtable, was quoted saying that the building was a "dramatically handsome structure," but later clarified that the comment had been written in 1979 about the proposed shape of the building and that the finished tower was "monumentally undistinguished one".
In 1984, the New York Court of Appeals rejected the city government's initial challenge to the tax breaks given to Trump Tower, which argued the tower did not replace an "underused" site.
In a 1984 article in GQ magazine, Donald Trump's first wife Ivana described the layout of the Trump Tower penthouse.
Around 1985, Donald Trump stated that more than one hundred stores wanted to move into Trump Tower, and he began describing the tower as "something of a New York landmark."
In 1985, Donald Trump was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state in the New York State Court of Appeals concerning the payment of a 10% state tax in the event that a real estate property is transacted for $1 million or more.
In 1985, the penthouse in Trump Tower was sold for $15 million.
By 1986, between 15% and 20% of Trump Tower's original stores had closed or moved. Commercial rents were the highest on Fifth Avenue, with retail space in the atrium costing $450 per square foot per year.
In 1988, the New York Court of Appeals rejected the city's claim that Trump Tower's commercial space did not qualify for a tax exemption.
In 1989, it was discovered that Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the ex-president of Haiti, lived in a $2 million apartment on the 54th floor. Public records in Haiti revealed he had forgotten to pay his bills.
In March 1990, the flagship Bonwit Teller store in Trump Tower closed after its parent company declared bankruptcy.
In 1990, Donald Trump testified he was unaware that 200 undocumented Polish immigrants were involved in the destruction of the Bonwit Teller building and the Trump Tower project.
In 1990, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the New York City government had to give Donald Trump $6.2 million in tax rebates related to Trump Tower.
In September 1991, Galeries Lafayette opened in the space previously occupied by Bonwit Teller after a $13.7 million renovation.
In 1991, a judge ruled in favor of the Polish laborers, stating the organization had to pay the workers.
In October 1991, Donald Trump successfully sued actress Pia Zadora and her husband to collect $1 million in unpaid rent.
In 1992, journalist Wayne Barrett's book concluded that Trump did business with mobbed-up concrete companies and met with Anthony Salerno.
In August 1994, Galeries Lafayette announced it would close its Trump Tower location due to an inability to pay the $8 million annual rent and taxes. The store was replaced by a Niketown location. High-end retailers had largely been replaced by more upper-middle-class outlets like Coach and Dooney & Bourke.
In 1994, the Niketown store started located on top of the building, 6 East 57th Street, which the Trump Organization holds a ground lease on.
Trump Tower is featured on the cover of the 1997 video game Grand Theft Auto.
In June 1998, Judge Kevin Duffy compared the case unfavorably to Charles Dickens' fictional case Jarndyce and Jarndyce after being assigned the case.
In 1999, the city passed a law requiring sprinklers in residential units.
In 1999, the lawsuit was ultimately settled, and its records were sealed.
The New York Times reported in 2020 that rent from the building's commercial spaces had earned Trump $336 million from 2000 through the end of 2018, amounting to over $20 million per year.
In 2006, Forbes magazine valued the office space in Trump Tower at up to $318 million; the tower itself was valued at $288 million.
In 2007, actor Bruce Willis bought a $4.26 million apartment in Trump Tower.
Since 2007, the Italian fashion retailer Gucci has rented 48,667 square feet along Fifth Avenue in Trump Tower.
In 2008, Trump Tower is depicted in the sequel Grand Theft Auto IV and its episodes.
In early 1979, when the Trump Organization bought the Bonwit Teller flagship building, the tower's ownership could have been transferred to Equitable in 2008, once the lease expired.
Since at least 2008, Qatar Airways has rented commercial space in Trump Tower.
Sometime prior to 2008, the Trump Organization removed the public bench and installed a counter selling Trump-branded merchandise in the public space passageway inside the Fifth Avenue entrance, and was fined $2,500 in 2008.
In 2009, Carlos Peralta, a billionaire businessman from Mexico, sold an apartment in Trump Tower for $13.5 million.
In July 2010, art dealer Hillel "Helly" Nahmad bought a second apartment in Trump Tower.
In 2010, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, known for musicals such as Cats, moved out of his apartment on the 59th and 60th floors after 17 years of stating his intention to do so.
In 2010, the comedy film The Other Guys features a car chase scene where Samuel L. Jackson's character drives his car into Trump Tower.
In 2010, the fifth edition of the AIA Guide to New York City and Fodor's New York City 2010 reviewed Trump Tower, describing the tower as a "fantasyland for the affluent shopper" and the "ostentatious atrium" as an example of the "unbridled luxury" of the 1980s.
In 2011, Wayne Barrett questioned some of Trump's business dealings in a Daily Beast article, alleging suspected mob connections.
In 2012, Donald Trump praised the movie The Dark Knight Rises, where Trump Tower was used as the location for Wayne Enterprises.
In 2012, Donald Trump took out a ten-year, personally guaranteed $100 million mortgage loan on Trump Tower.
By early 2024, Gucci was the only large retailer in Trump Tower's retail atrium, and the average per-square-foot cost of a condominium had nearly halved from 2013.
Between 2014 and 2015, the valuation of Trump Tower rose from $490 million to $600 million.
In 2014, Donald Trump admitted that he had "no choice" but to work with "concrete guys who are mobbed up."
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the ex-president of Haiti who previously lived in Trump Tower, died in 2014.
In July 2015, the city issued a notice of violation demanding the bench be put back in place because the Trump merchandise kiosks in the lobby of the building were operating out of compliance with city regulations.
In August 2015, Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo paid $18.5 million for an apartment in Trump Tower.
After Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign at Trump Tower in 2015, the number of visits to the tower had risen drastically, with many of the visitors being supporters of Trump's candidacy.
Between 2014 and 2015, the valuation of Trump Tower rose from $490 million to $600 million.
By 2015, a second counter had been added to the atrium in Trump Tower.
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., was founded in 2015 to manage Trump's 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, and was headquartered within part of the space where The Apprentice was filmed.
In 2015, the penthouse in Trump Tower was used as a filming location for the action film Self/less.
The Trump Organization applied for a permit for the clock in 2015, but it was followed by a reminder from the New York City Department of Transportation about unauthorized structures in July 2023.
In January 2016, a lawyer speaking for Trump's organization stated that the merchandise kiosks would be removed in two to four weeks, before an expected court ruling.
In March 2016, the monthly rent paid by the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign for its Trump Tower headquarters was $35,458.
On August 9, 2016, a man posted a viral video on YouTube, claiming to be an independent researcher who wanted to speak to Donald Trump.
After Donald Trump became president-elect of the United States on November 8, 2016, Trump Tower became a rallying point for protests, leading to increased security measures such as street closures.
On December 6, 2016, a woman reached the 24th floor of Trump Tower, two floors below Donald Trump's office, before being stopped by Secret Service officers.
In December 2016, Yelp reviews of Trump Grill averaged two-and-a-half out of five stars, while Google reviews averaged three of five stars, reflecting generally negative opinions about the restaurant.
After Trump's successful 2016 election, the campaign was moved out of the tower.
During and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, opponents of Trump's election created petitions to relocate the Niketown store.
During the last week of the 2016 presidential campaign, news media reported on the existence of "Trump Tower", a romance novel by Jeffrey Robinson, which chronicles the sexual activities of fictional characters living in the tower.
Following Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent election victory, Trump Tower experienced a large increase in visitation, leading to heightened security measures around the tower.
In 2016, Insight Guides mentioned Trump Tower as "worth stopping by for a glimpse of the opulence synonymous with Manhattan in the 1980s."
In 2016, following Donald Trump's presidential campaign launch in 2015, Trump Tower experienced a drastic increase in visits and gained popularity among tourists, especially after his election as president. Campaign memorabilia was sold in the atrium.
In 2016, the Trump Organization was fined $14,000 and ordered to remove the sales counters and reinstall the bench in the atrium.
In 2016, the value of Trump Tower dropped from $630 million to $471 million due to a reduction in operating income and a decline in real estate values.
In March 2017, Donald Trump wrote several posts on Twitter claiming former president Barack Obama had wiretapped phones in Trump Tower toward the end of the 2016 campaign.
In September 2018, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort agreed to forfeit his Trump Tower condo as part of a plea deal during the Special Counsel investigation of Russian ties to the 2016 election.
After Trump's inauguration in January 2017, the protests around Trump Tower decreased, leading to the loosening of security measures around the tower by summer.
From its launch in January 2017 until the end of 2018, the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign paid more than $890,000 in rent.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a no-fly zone over Trump Tower until January 20, 2017.
In March 2017, Donald Trump wrote several posts on Twitter claiming former president Barack Obama had wiretapped phones in Trump Tower toward the end of the 2016 campaign.
In April 2017, the United States Department of Defense signed an 18-month lease for space in Trump Tower to house personnel and equipment dedicated to protecting the president, paying more than $130,000 per month.
In July 2017, during Trump's presidency, the Secret Service moved their command post from the apartment directly underneath Trump's triplex penthouse to a trailer on the sidewalk.
In October 2017, Timothy L. O'Brien stated that during his interviews with Donald Trump for the book TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald, Trump repeatedly said his copy of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Two Sisters (On the Terrace) was the genuine work.
In November 2017, U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska ordered the settlement documents unsealed.
In 2017, Trump Tower's Energy Star score was 44 out of 100, which was below the city's overall median Energy Star score and lower than the score recorded in 2015.
In 2017, the city ordered the removal of two unauthorized kiosks in Trump Tower selling Trump's merchandise.
On April 7, 2018, a four-alarm fire broke out in a 50th-floor apartment in Trump Tower, resulting in one death and injuries to six firefighters. The fire was later attributed to overheated power wires.
In April 2018, prior to the larger fire later that month, a minor electrical fire occurred at Trump Tower, injuring three people.
In September 2018, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort agreed to forfeit his Trump Tower condo as part of a plea deal during the Special Counsel investigation of Russian ties to the 2016 election.
Health inspections in 2018 reported "evidence of mice or live mice" in and around the kitchen, which were cited as critical violations.
In 2018, José Maria Marin, former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, was sentenced to four years in prison.
In early 2018, Nike closed the Niketown store in Trump Tower as planned and moved to its new flagship store on Fifth Avenue in November.
The New York Times reported in 2020 that rent from the building's commercial spaces had earned Trump $336 million from 2000 through the end of 2018, amounting to over $20 million per year.
In May 2019, it was reported that Trump Tower, along with eight other Trump buildings in New York City, failed to meet the city's 2030 carbon emission standards, which were implemented as part of the city's "Green New Deal."
In October 2019, Eric Trump said that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) was continuing to rent two floors in Trump Tower.
Until October 2019, Trump Tower was the primary residence for Donald Trump, his wife Melania, and their son Barron.
In 2019, Cristiano Ronaldo, who bought an apartment for $18.5 million in August 2015, put it on the market for $9 million.
In 2019, Gucci's rent in Trump Tower was $440 per square foot.
In May 2020, the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked pro-police-reform protests in New York City, leading to the "Black Lives Matter" mural being painted on Fifth Avenue in July 2020.
In July 2020, activists including New York City mayor Bill de Blasio painted the words "Black Lives Matter" in giant letters on Fifth Avenue directly in front of Trump Tower.
By October 2020, Donald Trump had received approximately $5.4 million from the China state-owned bank ICBC through its $1.9 million annual rent in Trump Tower.
After Trump's successful 2016 election, his unsuccessful 2020 re-election campaign was headquartered in office space in Arlington, Virginia.
From its launch in January 2017 until the end of 2018, the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign paid more than $890,000 in rent.
In 2020, Gucci renegotiated its lease in Trump Tower and received a rent reduction for agreeing to extend the lease beyond 2026.
In 2020, José Maria Marin, former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, was placed under house arrest at his Trump Tower apartment after being sentenced to four years in prison in 2018.
In 2020, Trump Tower revenue was $33.7 million.
In January 2021, after the end of Trump's presidency, the vehicular barricades that had been blocking access to 56th Street from Fifth to Madison Avenues were removed.
In March 2021, one of Donald Trump's PACs took over the campaign's space on the 15th floor of Trump Tower for $37,541.67 per month.
In September 2021, Trump Tower was placed on a debt watch list by Wells Fargo & Co. because its average occupancy had fallen to 78.9% from 85.9% at the end of 2020.
As of 2021, GMAC Commercial Mortgage is the official owner of Trump Tower, according to the New York City Department of City Planning.
The Trump Bar in the lobby of Trump Tower was remodeled and renamed 45 Wine and Whiskey in 2021.
In 2022, Donald Trump refinanced Trump Tower with $100 million from Axos Bank.
In 2022, Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo sold his apartment in Trump Tower for $7.18 million, after purchasing it for $18.5 million in August 2015 and listing it for $9 million in 2019.
Tiffany & Co. subleased the Niketown space until 2022 while its flagship store was being renovated.
In July 2023, the New York City Department of Transportation reminded the Trump Organization of its "2015 notification regarding unauthorized structures."
In August 2023, The New York Times reported that the four-sided clock outside Trump Tower had been installed illegally, as the Trump Organization had not applied for or received a permit.
In April 2024, Donald Trump used Trump Tower for meetings, including with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso.
By early 2024, Gucci was the only large retailer in Trump Tower's retail atrium, and the average per-square-foot cost of a condominium had nearly halved from 2013.
In July 2025, FIFA leased offices at Trump Tower for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The New York Times reported in July 2025 that the retail space in Trump Tower was mostly vacant except for the Gucci store and two stores selling Trump-branded merchandise. The waterfall was turned off, and the escalators to the upper levels were roped off.
In 1983, laborers were paid $4 an hour for 12-hour shifts which is equivalent to $13 in 2025.
In 2025, the fashion house Louis Vuitton subleased the Niketown space during the renovation of its own flagship store nearby.
In 2020, Gucci renegotiated its lease in Trump Tower and received a rent reduction for agreeing to extend the lease beyond 2026.
In May 2019, it was reported that Trump Tower, along with eight other Trump buildings in New York City, failed to meet the city's 2030 carbon emission standards.
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