Trump’s Big Plans for D.C.’s Landmark Old Post Office

Old Post Office Pavilion, Washington DCThere’s been a lot of buzz in the District ever since Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka won the bid to renovate and transform the Old Post Office Pavilion. The iconic property on Pennsylvania Avenue had been coveted by local developers for decades. Now a national landmark, the building was constructed in 1890, and demolition plans actually helped launch D.C.'s historic preservation movement. A recent article in The Washington Post spills the details on the development plans for this beloved city landmark.

The Trumps’ goal is to create a hotel that will outrank the Hay-Adams, the Jefferson and the Four Seasons. “We will build the greatest hotel that Washington has ever seen.” The Post quotes the triumphant Trump. “There will never have been a comparable hotel to what we’re going to do with the Old Post Office.”

There were a total of 10 developers bidding for the project, and Ivanka was key in winning it. She recruited architect Arthur Cotton Moore, a Washington native, who has extensive knowledge of the Old Post Office, having started studying renovation plans in the 1970s. The Trumps teamed up with Colony Capital to offer $200 million to renovate the building and transform it into a 261-room hotel with a spa, three restaurants, a lounge, and a museum celebrating the landmark’s history and the Congress Bells. The 35,000 square foot banquet facilities will be “the largest among luxury hotels in Washington.” The Trumps will reopen the Old Post Office’s front entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue, and there will also be separate entrances for cars and Metro riders. Expect a 2016 opening date.

For further information about the project, check out The Washington Post’s in-depth analysis of the bidding process and the project.

Photo via The Washington Post