After buying the rights to the old Golf and Western building on Columbus Circle, Trump enlisted one of America’s most famous architects to turn the building into a hotel of the utmost extravagance. He choose Philip Johnson as much for his promotional abilities as for his skill as a designer. But when structural issues threatened to turn the project into a disaster, Trump had no choice but to turn again to an architect who would define Trump’s real estate legacy: Costas Kondylis.
Watch the third part of the six-part mini-doc on Kondylis and Trump’s collaboration above, and look out for part four tomorrow, which looks at the development of the contentious Trump Place on the Upper West Side. Check out the second part here. For more videos, visit The Real Deal‘s YouTube channel. See the full feature length documentary, “Building Stories,” here. The film has aired on PBS affiliate WNET.
Video produced by Amir Korangy and Toni Comas.