Francis York

View Original

In 1982, Donald Trump Purchased His First Trophy Mansion in Connecticut

This property is listed for $34,900,000 by Joseph BarbieriOf Sotheby's International Realty - Greenwich Brokerage.

Situated on its own private 6 acre peninsula, this Greenwich, Connecticut home was once owned by Donald Trump, and his then wife Ivana. A 35-year old Donald Trump purchased the 5.8 acre property in 1982 for $4 million as the first trophy mansion in a portfolio of luxury properties that Trump would collect over the years. 

At the time, Ivana was remodelling the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan which Trump purchased in1980, and she would go on to decorate the luxurious Connecticut home with many of the same materials (gold leaf detail, chandeliers, etc.). When Donald and Ivana divorced in 1992, Ivana won the home in the settlement and it was later sold to financier Robert Steinberg and his wife in 1998 for a reported $15 million. The home has since been on and off the market a few times but has not sold, some say due to the polarizing media attention since Trump has been elected.

The 19,773-square-foot Georgian Colonial residence was constructed in 1939 by Robert Hillas, a businessman and president of the Superheater Company in New York City. It was built by Polhemus & Coffin, a New York based architectural firm. At the time of construction, the home was a state of the art build, costing $200,000 (around $3.7 million in 2020), with modern luxuries like heating and air conditioning, as well as a bowling alley. There are also multiple terraces offering panoramic views out onto the water - there’s also a private boat dock.  

When the Steinbergs purchased the property in 1998, they set about immediately renovating the property and toning down the Trump aesthetic. They also added a tennis court, a 4,000 sq ft guest suite, sauna, and an indoor lap pool. The entire residence spans 19,773 sq ft with 8 bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms, 3 partial baths, and three staff apartments.