How Donald Trump Took Down Bonwit Teller, A Fifth Avenue Landmark

Fifth Avenue helps define New York as one of the cultural and commercial capitals of the world. As a young developer, Donald Trump wanted to make a splash and build a Trump Tower on the famous street. In 1979, Trump purchased and subsequently demolished the old Bonwit Teller store. The demolition was not without controversy and included the surprise destruction of several works of art originally intended to be saved. 

Bonwit Teller was one of Fifth Avenue’s signature luxury retailers. Located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 56th Street, its 12-story limestone and granite emporium was designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects of Grand Central Station.

The structure was originally the M.I. Stewart & Co. women’s apparel store. Stewart opened in October 1929, just 8 days before the stock market collapsed. Within 5 months, Stewart & Co. failed and Bonwit Teller acquired the building.

Bonwit Teller was a Fifth Avenue mainstay for almost five decades. It experienced the glory days when chauffeurs and doormen were a way of life for customers. But over time, Fifth Avenue grew tired and several retailers closed or moved to other neighborhoods. 

As he scouted for a site, Trump learned that Bonwit Teller had grown unprofitable and its owners needed cash and could be convinced to sell the Fifth Avenue location. For several years, he relentlessly pressured the company to sell. In January 1979, Trump acquired the Bonwit Teller building for $15 million. 

After the purchase, Trump called for the demolition of Bonwit Teller in order to clear the site and build a 58-story Trump Tower residential, office, and retail complex.

Trump engaged architect Der Scutt for his new Trump Tower. Scutt tried to convince Trump to approve a design that was reflective of the traditional and dignified district. Trump was adamant that he wanted his Trump Tower to be a bronze-colored glass skyscraper. Scutt was unable to sway Trump. In 1980, the architect told New York Magazine, “If Donald hasn’t built it, it’s not any good. And it has to flash to be good.”

As Bonwit Teller was prepared for demolition, preservationists urged Trump to save two artistic elements. A pair of 15-foot bas-relief sculptures, depicting nude women dancing with scarves, and a large nickel-plated grill, located over the store’s main entryway were promised to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Trump agreed to donate them to the Met as long as the costs and the ability to physically remove the Art Deco artifacts were not unreasonably expensive.

Trump surprised New York’s art community on June 5, 1980 when a demolition crew jackhammered the sculptures off of the building. In addition, the intricate grillwork was removed. The destruction drew a public outcry. The Met received no advance notice.

Trump initially avoided any comment about the Bonwit Teller artwork. But John Baron, a spokesperson with the Trump Organization, contacted the New York Daily News to discuss the situation. Baron informed the Daily News that “the merit of the stones was not great enough to justify the effort to save them.” Baron stated that the removal process could have set back Trump Tower’s construction timeline by two weeks. Baron also told the New York Times
NYT
that he had no idea what happened to the ornate grillwork.

Long after Baron’s initial contact, the New York Daily News learned that John Baron was actually Donald Trump, in disguise. 

Board and staff members at the Met were furious and confused about Baron’s claims that the sculptures lacked merit. “Can you imagine the [Met] accepting them if they were not of artistic merit?” asked Ashton Hawkins, a Met board member.

The day after “Baron” called the Daily News, Donald Trump released a statement, claiming that the sculptures had to be reduced to stones. “My biggest concern was the safety of people on the street below…people could have been killed. To me, it would not have been worth that kind of risk.”

Though Trump claimed that the removal of the sculptures would have cost his organization approximately $500,000, an initial estimate, made public, amounted to a $32,000 expense.

Later that year, Trump told New York Magazine that the art [at Bonwit Teller] was “worthless” and the “Met didn’t want it.” He also boasted that the publicity was not all negative. “The morning after the [Bonwit Teller] story hit the front pages of the Times, I must have gotten two dozen calls from people who wanted apartments in Trump Tower. It was fantastic promotion.”

Trump hired the firm Kaszycki & Sons to clear the Bonwit Teller site. Kaszycki & Sons was largely a window-washing firm with little experience in demolition. Kaszycki brought in over 200 undocumented Polish workers who worked 12-hour shifts at only $4 an hour. The firm provided no safety equipment, hard hats, googles, or masks, despite reports of asbestos. In 1983, several Polish workers filed suit against Trump, as the property’s owner, due to “horrid and terrible conditions” at the demolition site. After 15 years of litigation, Trump paid $1.4 million to the workers and settled the case.

Bonwit Teller remained in business after its former Fifth Avenue flagship closed. It operated over a dozen stores from Short Hills to Beverly Hills. But in an unplanned twist, it eventually returned to Fifth Avenue and became the main retail anchor at the new Trump Tower.

However, it didn’t feel like the same Bonwit Teller that had catered to New York’s upper-income customers. The new Bonwit Teller lacked the size and sophistication of its former location. 

By August 1989, Bonwit Teller was in bankruptcy and the entire chain was put up for sale. Trump wanted the retailer out of Trump Tower as soon as possible. His wish came true and the storied retailer collapsed and closed only a few months later.

Shortly after, Trump enthusiastically announced that the famous Parisian department store, Galeries Lafayette, would assume the space. In spite of initial fanfare, Galeries Lafayette closed after only three years. The store was too small and too ordinary for Fifth Avenue. 

Several years later, the British jeweler Asprey moved into the former Bonwit Teller space. It, too, only lasted for three years.  

Donald Trump is not responsible for the demise of Bonwit Teller. Though it enjoyed a prestigious reputation, Bonwit Teller seemed stuck in the past. The retailer grew stodgy and lost many of its exclusive brands. The company suffered from excessive inventory levels and too many branch stores. 

Bonwit Teller was just one of those classic Fifth Avenue businesses. The stately Art Deco emporium evoked an era of class and dignity. But the business was not in good health for many years. The constant changing ownership and store leadership left the firm rudderless. By the end of the eighties the store seemed irrelevant. 

As Bonwit Teller struggled, it became vulnerable. That’s true on Fifth Avenue and every other Main Street and shopping mall in this country.

It’s unfortunate that the old Bonwit Teller couldn’t find its way into the future. It’s a shame that some of the building’s priceless sculptures were destroyed due to a lack of appreciation and patience. Fifth Avenue lost some of its heritage and dignity when masterpieces were replaced by lonely glass skyscrapers made from gold.