Vintage photos of Trump Tower show the early days of Donald Trump's New York City headquarters
Talia Lakritz
- Donald Trump built Trump Tower in 1984 to house luxury condominiums and a shopping center.
- Vintage photos show Trump Tower under construction and its star-studded opening.
Completed in 1984, Trump Tower serves as Donald Trump's New York City home and office as well as a landmark tourist destination.
The building, which cost $200 million to build, was the site of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign launch in which he famously made his entrance via one of Trump Tower's escalators.
Here's a look back at its construction and opening in the 1980s.
Donald Trump bought the future site of Trump Tower, then occupied by Bonwit Teller's flagship department store, in 1979.
Located at 56th Street and Fifth Avenue next to the Tiffany store in New York City, a 1979 article in The New York Times estimated the sale price of the 11-story Bonwit Teller building at between $10 million and $24 million.
Architect Der Scutt designed the high-rise building to include a five-story atrium with shops and 263 luxury condos on the top floors.
The Trump Organization advertises the building as 68 floors high, with the residential condominiums beginning on the 30th floor.
City records show that Trump Tower actually has 58 floors. In 2003, Trump told The New York Times that he counted the atrium and shops as 10 extra floors.
''It was all approved,'' Trump said. ''I brought it before the various agencies and got them to agree that I could start the building at Floor 30, because it equated to approximately 300 feet above ground.''
Trump Tower opened in 1983 and construction was completed in 1984.
Construction cost around $200 million, author Jerome Tuccille wrote in "Trump: The Saga of America's Most Powerful Real Estate Baron." Trump made $300 million in condo sales when the building opened.
New York City Mayor Ed Koch was among the high-profile guests at Trump Tower's opening celebration.
Trump Tower's condo prices ranged from $800,000 to $10 million. Celebrity residents included Steven Spielberg and Johnny Carson.
Uniformed guards in white gloves stood at the entrance to welcome visitors.
The Trump Tower condos had their own private entrance on 56th Street.
In the 1980s, the lobby featured live musicians dressed in tuxedos.
Today, entering Trump Tower requires going through airport-like security due to the former president's Secret Service protection.
The suspended walkways and escalators in the atrium provided a sweeping view of the building's numerous shops and restaurants.
The eastern wall of the atrium featured a 60-foot waterfall.
Luxury retailers inside Trump Tower included Cartier and Buccellati.
Ivanka Trump also had a store in Trump Tower that sold pieces from her jewelry line. It closed in 2018.
Trump's office was built on the 26th floor.
The windows featured stunning views of Central Park.
The Trump family took up residence in Trump Tower's triplex penthouse on the top floors.
A private elevator transported Trump from his office to his apartment.
Designed by Angelo Donghia in the Louis XIV style, Trump's opulent apartment featured gold and marble finishes.
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