Trump Palace: The Upper East Side Tower Built on the Foundling Hospital Site

Trump Palace tower at 200 East 69th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, seen from the street

Trump Palace, 200 East 69th Street. Photograph by Americasroof, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Trump Palace is a tall condominium tower at 200 East 69th Street, on the Upper East Side near Third Avenue. Unlike several buildings in the Trump series, this one really is a Trump development. Donald Trump bought the site in 1985, put up the tower between 1989 and 1991, and put his name on it from the start. What stood there before was a hospital for abandoned children, and that earlier story is part of why the building drew neighborhood fights before a single floor went up.

The sources disagree on several basic numbers, including how tall the tower is and how many apartments it holds. This article gives each figure with its source instead of choosing one.

What stood at 200 East 69th Street before Trump Palace?

The site belonged to the New York Foundling Hospital. The New York Foundling was founded in 1869, and the bronze plaque that still carries that date is a reminder of the institution. The hospital's earlier home, shown in an engraving from King's Handbook of New York City (1893), stood on East 68th Street near Third Avenue. The building that Trump Palace replaced was a newer one. CityRealty's review of the tower says it replaced a 10-story Foundling Hospital building from 1959, and a 1988 New York Times article about the Foundling's move to new quarters also dates the hospital building to 1959.

Engraving of the New York Foundling Asylum at 175 East 68th Street near Third Avenue, published in 1893

The New York Foundling Asylum, 175 East 68th Street, near Third Avenue, from King’s Handbook of New York City (1893). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This is the Foundling’s earlier building, not the 1959 hospital that Trump Palace replaced.

The Foundling did not simply vanish when Trump arrived. The New York Times reported on October 16, 1988 that the institution was moving to meet the needs of a new generation of children, and that article is also the source for the hospital's 1959 date and for Trump's purchase terms. It said Trump bought the site “three years ago” for $60 million. A second Times article, from April 23, 1989, says the site was bought in 1985 from the New York Foundling Hospital. Both agree on 1985, so the sale of the hospital's land, rather than any later deal, is what cleared the way for the tower.

Sister Irene and children at the New York Foundling orphanage in Manhattan

Sister Irene and children at the New York Foundling. Date not given by the source. Library of Congress, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Who built Trump Palace, and who designed it?

The developer was Donald Trump. The architect was Frank Williams & Associates, according to both the 1989 New York Times article and CityRealty. That is worth stating plainly because Costas Kondylis, who designed several other Trump towers in the city, did not design this one. The Times gave a construction cost of $185 million.

The tower rose as-of-right, which means it fit the zoning that already applied to the lot and needed no special permission to reach its height. CityRealty says that, and the 1989 Times article describes civic groups that tried to get the height reduced and failed. The Times also reported that an idea for a five-screen cinema in the project had been dropped. CityRealty says the building has no cinema variance.

How tall is Trump Palace, and how many apartments does it have?

This is where the sources split, and the differences are large enough to matter.

Height and stories. The New York Times in 1989 said the tower would be 623 feet and 55 stories, and the Trump Organization's own page also says 55 stories. CityRealty's review gives 634 feet and 56 stories. A Trump International Realty brochure gives a floor count of 68, which does not match the other counts, and other sources give 54, 57 or 55 stories. This article cannot say which count is right. The safest summary is that the tower is in the range of 623 to 634 feet and about 55 or 56 stories.

Apartments. The 1989 Times article and Crain's New York give 283 apartments. CityRealty says 285. The brochure says 277. Those numbers may reflect different counts at different times, since apartments are sometimes combined.

Facade. The Times in 1989 described a granite tower with Art Deco overtones. CityRealty describes yellowish-orange brick. Both can be partly true on a building with different materials at different levels, but the sources do not say so, so the question stays open here.

Bronze plaque reading New York Foundling Hospital Founded 1869 set into red brick at East 69th Street, Manhattan

The New York Foundling Hospital plaque, founded 1869. Photograph by Kidfly182, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

What is the shape of the building?

The Times in 1989 described the project as a tower with two rows of 8-story townhouses, and noted it would be 72 feet taller than the 54-story Galleria, which made it the tallest building on the Upper East Side at the time. CityRealty describes it a little differently. It says the tower holds about two thirds of the apartments and that two attached structures of 8 and 9 stories hold the rest. The two accounts line up on the main point: a slim tower on Third Avenue's side of the block with lower wings alongside it.

The site also includes a public plaza of 8,425 square feet, according to the website A Great Big City, which lists it among the city's privately owned public spaces.

Is Trump Palace a landmark?

The sources read for this article do not show any designation by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and a 1991 tower would be too new for one in the ordinary course. This article states only that it found no designation.

What happened with the retail at the base?

The retail space at 1175 Third Avenue is a separate condominium unit of the building. The Real Deal reported on September 27, 2010 that Equity One bought the retail condo for $21 million. Crain's New York reported on August 14, 2024 that Regency Centers now owns it, and that the residential condo board at 200 East 69th Street was suing Regency Centers, Whole Foods and Five Below over the new tenants. A Whole Foods Daily Shop opened there on September 18, 2024, according to a press release. Five Below is also a tenant. This article does not say how the lawsuit ended because the sources read do not report an outcome.

Where can you eat or drink at Trump Palace?

This article found no restaurant, bar or lounge inside Trump Palace that is open to the public. The condominium is residential, and the sources read do not describe any public dining room in the building. The closest thing to food at the address is the Whole Foods Daily Shop at 1175 Third Avenue, which is a small-format grocery and prepared-food store rather than a restaurant. Its hours and menu can change, and this article could not confirm them. Check the Whole Foods website for current hours before you go.

Who owns Trump Palace today?

The residential floors are a condominium, so the apartments belong to their individual owners, and the building is run by a condo board. The Trump Organization lists Trump Palace in its residential portfolio. The retail condo at 1175 Third Avenue belongs to Regency Centers, according to Crain's New York in August 2024. The sources read do not say who owns any particular apartment, and this article does not guess.

Sources

Visiting the Trump Palace

Address: 200 East 69th Street, near Third Avenue, Manhattan.
Access: The apartments are private. The sources read list no tours or public interior areas.
Shopping: A Whole Foods Daily Shop operates at 1175 Third Avenue at the base of the building. Check Whole Foods for current hours.

Checked against Trump Organization building page. Confirm hours and ticket rules there.