Trump Plaza renamed 'The Plaza' as condo owners pivot to original name of West Palm Beach complex
Alexandra Clough
Everything old is new again at the condominium formerly known as Trump Plaza.
The West Palm Beach condo has been renamed The Plaza, the original name for the twin-tower complex along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Plaza was the condo's moniker when the 32-story complex was built in the 1980s. Now it's back in fashion after condo residents voted in late January to ditch the Trump brand following the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol.
After several names were suggested, more than 67% of residents picked The Plaza in a vote tallied on Monday, according to Jeff Barr, president of the condo association.
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"The residents preferred a name for the condo that was generic, low-key and didn't attract attention of any kind," Barr said. "Our original name of 'The Plaza' filled that need."
Former President Donald Trump, who once tried his hand at selling units in this complex, now is in residence at his Mar-a-Lago mansion at the private club in Palm Beach, following his loss to President Joe Biden in the November 2020 election.
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At one time, tower residents thought the Trump name brought cachet
Prior to Trump's presidency, residents of the 525-529 S. Flagler Drive complex believed the Trump name brought cachet to the buildings, particularly with international buyers.
The Trump name remained even though the real estate mogul hasn't had anything to do with the condo for two decades.
The brash New York real estate developer borrowed millions to buy the complex from the Bank of New York, which had reclaimed the complex from its developers. But Trump struggled to sell units amid an economic downturn, and then ended up handing the condo complex over to his lenders in 1991, minus any personal guarantee.
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Still, Trump's name remained on the condo tower until he became president.
Over time, though, controversies during and immediately after the Trump presidency grew too much for some residents.
In February of last year, residents voted not to replace Trump Plaza signs once atop the buildings. The signs previously had been removed for building repairs, and residents weren't interested in paying for costly new signs that would draw attention to the building.
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Then in June, Trump Plaza signs at the base of the complex were yanked as the building sought to go incognito in the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Officially, however, Trump Plaza remained the legal name of the complex, which features 221 units with soaring water views of the Intracoastal, Palm Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Units range in price from $1 million to $4 million.
After the attack on the U.S. Capitol, however, residents voted to ditch the Trump name entirely. Photos and videos of Trump followers smashing the Capitol windows and doors, defacing the interior, attacking police officers and hunting for lawmakers shocked Trump Plaza residents, even those who once had supported Trump.
In a March email, the condo board for the first time put in writing what had been circulating among residents for years: Tradition and loyalty stood no chance against property values, especially after a board study showed the Trump name was hurting unit condo values when compared to nearby residential towers.
"That’s not surprising when many real estate brokers reported the name 'Trump Plaza' is clearly a deterrent to some people from buying units here," said a management email sent to residents in March.
"To protect our values, and in fact to enhance them, your Board is unanimous in support of changing our name," the email said.
Finalists for renaming building were The Plaza, Lakeview Plaza and La Vue
Following the residents' decision to make a break with Trump, three new names were floated.
There was The Plaza; Lakeview Plaza; and La Vue, French for "the view."
The Plaza won by more than two-thirds of the vote, Barr said.
A street-level sign bearing The Plaza name likely will be installed in the coming months.
Although Trump Plaza is an old complex, condo owners have spent big money to freshen up the place. In addition to the new roof and paint job, the pools and lobby have been renovated or redecorated, and the balconies restored, as part of the $6 million facelift.
Erasing the signature Trump brand is a trend that took place during his presidency at other properties bearing the Trump name, in buildings where residents have soured on being associated with the politics, and controversy, of the former president.
In recent years, condominium owners in two "Trump Place" buildings on Manhattan's Upper West Side voted to remove the Trump name from their buildings' exteriors.
However, cutting ties with Trump also spread to the business community after the Jan. 6 insurrection, with companies, banks and even the PGA of America deciding to take the PGA Championship event away from Trump's golf course in Bedminster, N.J., just days after the Capitol riot. The PGA Championship is one of the four major annual championships in professional golf.
Even Palm Beach County explored looking into severing a lease that allows Trump to operate Trump International Golf Club on county-owned land in West Palm Beach, just south of Palm Beach International Airport. But the county's legal staff determined the county could not end its lease with Trump, who pays $88,338 a month in rent for the property.