Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago is a luxury resort club and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, built by businesswoman and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post during the 1920s. The property was named Mar-a-Lago — Spanish for "Sea to Lake" — because of its prime location between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth Lagoon, which forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. A resort and landmark on a barrier island in Palm Beach, it spans 126 rooms and 62,500 square feet (5,810 square meters) built on 17 acres (7 hectares) of land. Since 1985, it has been owned by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States. Though the estate sits within the town of Palm Beach, it has long been closely associated with the broader Palm Beach County region and with neighboring West Palm Beach, which lies directly across Lake Worth Lagoon and is home to facilities including the Trump International Golf Club.[1]
Origins and Construction
Built in the 1920s, Mar-a-Lago was originally the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, a businesswoman and socialite who was one of the wealthiest women in the United States. Upon the death of her father, C.W. Post, in 1914, she inherited the Postum Cereal Co. Ltd. fortune. With her second husband, stockbroker Edward F. Hutton, she guided the company through a series of mergers that led to the formation of General Foods Corporation.
Finding that her first Florida home had become too small, Post chose a 17-acre site in Palm Beach on which to build a larger home. Construction began in 1923 and was completed in 1927. She hired Marion Sims Wyeth as designer and Joseph Urban for interior design and exterior decorations. Post spent US$7 million (equivalent to approximately $130 million in 2025). It was finished in 1927.[2]
Mar-a-Lago is one of the most lavish of the mansions built in Florida in the early 20th century, when the state was a wintering place for the country's wealthiest and most prominent families. Architecturally, it followed the contemporary vogue for the Spanish Revival, a style particularly suited to the climate and history of the area. Post hired set designer Joseph Urban for the over-the-top decor at Mar-a-Lago. As one preservationist noted, "Wyeth did the bones of the house, the central cloister and the way the wings came off center, and Urban did the ornamentation."[3]
The building is most commonly described as Spanish Revival or Spanish–Mediterranean (often labeled Hispano-Moresque), a hybridized, revivalist composition that blends Spanish, Moorish, Venetian, and Portuguese motifs rather than a single academically pure style. At Mar-a-Lago, Urban organized the spaces around the curved patio so that each area gets its own special view and orientation, reminiscent of the theatrical layout of the imperial palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome.[4]
Architecture and Physical Description
The mansion has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms with gold-plated fixtures, an 1,800-square-foot living room with a 42-foot ceiling, a ballroom with gold leaf decoration, and a 75-foot tower. In the Hispano-Moresque style, it boasts some 36,000 antique Spanish floor tiles and 2,200 square feet of black and white marble floor blocks imported from a Cuban castle.[5]
Mar-a-Lago is one of the most lavish of the mansions built in Florida in the early 20th century when the state was a wintering place for the country's wealthiest and most prominent families. Architecturally, it followed the contemporary vogue for the Spanish Revival, a style particularly suited to the climate and history of the area. The estate is still surrounded by its landscaped grounds, including a golf course on the shores of Lake Worth and a bathing beach on the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the house and grounds provide an excellent picture of winter resort life in Palm Beach prior to the Depression.[6]
The U.S. government added it to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated it a National Historic Landmark in 1980 due to its architectural importance and cultural history.[7] Amenities offered to the club's guests and members include a full-size croquet lawn, a beach club, a spa and fitness center, and a 20,000-square-foot ballroom with imitation Louis XIV gold and crystal finish, completed in 2005.
Marjorie Merriweather Post Era
At the time of its opening, Post used her large seaside mansion as her private home, where she hosted elaborate parties. The estate quickly became a prominent part of the region's social scene. Being invited to attend Post's social events at Mar-a-Lago became a status symbol in Palm Beach.
When constructing Mar-a-Lago, Post hoped that the complex would one day become a historic structure. Specifically, Post dreamed that Mar-a-Lago would serve as a surrogate White House, where the president could vacation or host gatherings. For this reason, Post eventually donated the entire complex to the U.S. federal government. At the time of her death in 1973, Post bequeathed the property to the National Park Service, hoping it could be used for state visits or as a Winter White House. However, because the costs of maintaining the property exceeded the funds provided by Post, and because it was difficult to secure the facility, the property was returned to the Post Foundation by act of Congress 96–586 on December 23, 1980.[8]
Richard Nixon preferred the Florida White House in Key Biscayne, and Jimmy Carter was not interested. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter both determined that the property was too expensive to maintain as a presidential residence. In 1981, the federal government returned the estate to the Post family, who put the property up for sale. Property developer Cerf Stanford Ross added eight homes to Mar-a-Lago, hoping to subdivide it and increase the property's chances of selling. The federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance and the difficulty of providing security and returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981. It was listed for sale for $20 million.
Trump Ownership and the Mar-a-Lago Club
Real estate mogul Donald Trump purchased the property in 1985 and used it as a private residence until 1995, when it opened to the public as the Mar-a-Lago Club. After the Trump family's restoration, it became an exclusive private club and spa with members and guests drawn from the Palm Beach social elite and celebrities from around the world. The main house and adjacent buildings were meticulously restored, showcasing the original Spanish style and carved coral architectural details that complement the manicured lawns and expansive grounds.[9]
In the early 1990s, Trump faced financial difficulties. While negotiating with bankers he attempted to divide Mar-a-Lago into smaller properties, alarming Palm Beach residents. City council rejected this plan. Trump instead turned the estate into a private club in 1995, fighting what he considered to be excessive restrictions. The new club hosted concerts by celebrities such as Celine Dion and Billy Joel, and had beauty pageant contestants as guests. Mar-a-Lago also had numerous celebrity guests; notably, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley had their honeymoon there in 1994.
During Trump's first term as U.S. president, Mar-a-Lago became a focus of interest because the club frequently served as a presidential retreat. In January 2017, while still president-elect, Trump tweeted that he was writing his inaugural address at Mar-a-Lago, which he nicknamed the "Winter White House." On February 10–12, 2017, President Trump and his wife Melania hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and his wife — the first use of Mar-a-Lago to entertain an international leader, a function traditionally performed at the White House. On that same weekend, one of Trump's first international security crises occurred when North Korea launched a missile. Trump and Abe conferred in full view of the other diners.[10]
Nearby in West Palm Beach is the Trump International Golf Club, which has hosted professional golf tournaments.
Classified Documents Investigation
In August 2022, the FBI executed an unannounced search of Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump, as part of an investigation into the mishandling of classified documents. Prior to the search, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) identified that Trump had retained numerous classified documents after leaving office, despite requests for their return. The FBI had previously recovered 15 boxes of materials but later discovered that more classified documents remained at the property.
The FBI search of Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022, resulted in the FBI recovering over 13,000 government documents, over 300 of which were classified, with some relating to national defense secrets covered under the Espionage Act. During the raid, agents collected 33 boxes, including eleven sets of classified documents, which encompassed secret and top-secret information. Trump's legal team contested the validity of the warrant, asserting it was overly broad and that the items were considered personal property.[11]
Former President Trump pleaded not guilty in June 2023 to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House in 2021, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information and took steps to thwart the government's efforts to get the documents back. In December 2024, Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped his prosecution of Trump after Trump was reelected president, due to a long-standing Justice Department policy that bars the prosecution of a sitting president.[12]
The FBI took 33 boxes during the August 2022 court-authorized search of Mar-a-Lago as part of the probe. The FBI subsequently returned the property seized during the 2022 raid to President Trump upon his return to office.[13]
Impact on West Palm Beach and the Region
Mar-a-Lago's presence has had a palpable effect on the broader West Palm Beach metropolitan area. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a no-fly zone around Mar-a-Lago that redirected air traffic over neighborhoods, sparking a petition from West Palm Beach residents who pushed back against newly implemented flight paths that rerouted planes directly over residential areas.[14]
Mar-a-Lago is the only private club worldwide to attain the prestigious 6-Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, and is considered to be one of the world's most sought-after private clubs. The club's events, including galas, charity balls, and diplomatic meetings, regularly draw prominent figures from politics, business, and entertainment to the Palm Beach region, whose economy and profile benefit from the international attention the estate receives. The International Red Cross Ball, an annual formal event founded by Post herself, still frequently takes place at Mar-a-Lago, continuing a tradition from Post's era as a "white tie, tails, and tiara" event.
Despite controversies surrounding its use and Trump's residency, Mar-a-Lago continues to function as a prominent social and political hub, attracting members and high-profile events. Its lavish architecture and rich history maintain its status as a significant landmark in Palm Beach.
See Also
- Palm Beach, Florida
- West Palm Beach, Florida
- Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach
- Marjorie Merriweather Post
- National Historic Landmark
- Lake Worth Lagoon