That time Trump pitched a high-rise in John Lewis’ district
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday with a pair of tweets slamming the Atlanta district represented by Rep. John Lewis as a “crime infested” are that is in “horrible shape and falling apart.”
But it wasn’t so long ago that the New York Republican aimed to build a $300 million pair of high-rises in the heart of Lewis’ district. The once-planned Trump Towers project at 15th and West Peachtree streets in Midtown was announced with great fanfare, with Trump promising the glossy towers would leave a signature imprint on Midtown’s skyline.
“It’s a great location in a great city,” he said in an August 2006 interview introducing the project. “I’ve loved Atlanta for years.”
Like so many other ambitious projects, this one fizzled out during the Great Recession, and the 2.5 acre tract ended up in foreclosure.
Here’s a look back at the project with our AJC colleague Scott Trubey:
After months of speculation, Trump confirmed his involvement in the project in August 2006 — the peak of the region’s housing boom. At the time, condo sales were surging and new high-rises planned years earlier were coming to market.
The two curved and mirrored glass high-rises — one 47-story tower next to a 38-story one — would soar above a lobby emblazoned with a giant Trump logo. An Atlanta-based firm partly owned by music legend Kenny Rogers was hired to design the building’s interior, and there were plans for a high-end restaurant and grocer on the ground levels. More than 560 units, topping out at $1.6 million, would be built.
Trump, never one for understatement, promised his building would add Atlanta’s name to the list of must-see skylines of New York and Chicago.
“It’s a great location in a great city,” he said in an August 2006 interview introducing the project. “I’ve loved Atlanta for years.”
By April 2007, at an event to launch pre-sales of condos in the first tower, Trump and daughter Ivanka were greeted by TV cameras and a flood of media at Rogers’ firm, Kenji Design Studios. The Atlanta real estate market, which had been on fire, was starting to cool.
More on Trump, Lewis and the Atlanta district he insulted:
Pastor of MLK’s church: Trump is a ‘small man’ for attacking Atlanta
Donald Trump condemned for attacks on John Lewis and his Atlanta district
All about Georgia’s 5th congressional district
Georgia Republicans struggle to defend Trump’s attack on Lewis
