But the Palm Beach property had already lived several lives before Trump became associated with it.
asserted
Trump → live → it
The mansion was built in the 1920s by Marjorie Merriweather Post, an heiress and philanthropist who was among the wealthiest women of her time.
asserted
who → build → time
According to NPR, long before government documents and political events brought it global attention, Mar-a-Lago was known for lavish parties, royal guests, charity events and a social life centred around Post.
uncertain
Lago → accord → Post
The name itself reflects the unusual location of the property.
asserted
name → reflect → property
Mar-a-Lago means Sea to Lake in Spanish.
asserted
Lago → mean → Spanish
The estate sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth in Palm Beach, Florida.
asserted
estate → sit → Beach
Post built it as a private home, but it soon became much more than that.
asserted
it → build → that
Its history began with Post's enormous wealth.
asserted
history → begin → wealth
She was the heiress to the Postum Cereal Company, which later became the General Foods Corporation.
asserted
which → become → Company
After her father died, Post took control of the company at the age of 27 and became one of the richest women in the world.
asserted
Post → die → world
A mansion built for grand parties
Mar-a-Lago was completed in 1927 after about four years of construction.
asserted
Lago → build → construction
Post spent about $7 million on the property, a figure that would be worth more than $100 million today.
asserted
that → spend → figure
The estate covered about 20 acres, while the main house measured more than 37,000 square feet.
asserted
house → cover → feet
It had 58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms.
asserted
It → have → bedrooms
The interiors included 36,000 historic Spanish tiles, imported Italian stone, thousands of feet of marble, gold-plated fixtures and gold leafing.
asserted
interiors → include → marble
The scale of the mansion reflected the wealth and consumerism of the 1920s.
asserted
scale → reflect → 1920s
Even by Palm Beach standards, it was considered unusually grand.
asserted
it → consider → standards
Freelance journalist and Purdue PhD student Michael Luongo, who studied the Post Family Papers at the University of Michigan and wrote about Mar-a-Lago's history for Smithsonian Magazine, described it as grandiose.
asserted
who → study → it
Post was known for hosting large gatherings, and her first Florida home had become too small for the parties she wanted to organise.
asserted
she → know → parties
Mar-a-Lago gave her the space to entertain guests on a much larger scale.
asserted
Lago → give → scale
Post was the richest woman in the US when she built Mar a Lago.
asserted
she → build → Lago
"Florida in the 1920s and the 1930s served the same role that it does now.
asserted
it → serve → role
It was a place where people vacationed," Luongo told NPR.
asserted
Luongo → vacation → NPR
"But we are not talking about your ordinary middle class family going to Disney.
asserted
we → talk → Disney
We are talking about the very elite who would come down to Palm Beach, who would come down to parties that she would host."
asserted
she → talk → that
Post's guest list included royals and diplomats.
asserted
list → include → royals
She also organised elaborate parties and charity events, including the International Red Cross Ball.
asserted
She → organise → Ball
Some of these events were open to people from the surrounding Palm Beach community.
asserted
Some → surround → community
Post also wanted her property and social events to have a wider purpose.
asserted
property → want → purpose
Luongo said she was particularly interested in allowing underprivileged people to attend some events.
asserted
people → say → events
"She also was very keen on ensuring that the underprivileged were invited to events so that they could experience, for example, musical concerts," Luongo said.
uncertain
Luongo → ensure → concerts
That combination of wealth, entertainment and charity became an important part of Mar-a-Lago's early identity.
asserted
combination → become → identity
The property later gained official historic recognition.
asserted
property → gain → recognition
In 1969, the Department of the Interior made Mar-a-Lago a national historic site.
asserted
Lago → make → Interior
It was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
asserted
It → add → Places
Post wanted it to be a 'Winter White House'
asserted
it → want → ?
When Post died in 1973, she left Mar-a-Lago to the federal government.
asserted
she → die → government
Her wish was for the mansion to become a retreat for US presidents and diplomats.
asserted
mansion → become → presidents
She wanted it to serve as a 'Winter White House'.
asserted
it → want → House
However, the government decided that maintaining such a large property would be too expensive.
asserted
maintaining → decide → property
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
