What artistic treasure was saved from destruction when Donald Trump bought the property?
No artistic treasures were saved; rather, Donald Trump ordered the destruction of priceless 
Art Deco sculptures when he purchased the property to build Trump Tower. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Art Deco sculptures when he purchased the property to build Trump Tower. [1, 2, 3, 4]The History of the Destruction
In 1979, Donald Trump purchased the 
Bonwit Teller building—a landmark 1929 Art Deco department store located at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan. [1, 2]
Bonwit Teller building—a landmark 1929 Art Deco department store located at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan. [1, 2]- The Artifacts: The building’s facade featured two prominent, 15-foot limestone bas-relief sculptures depicting semi-nude goddesses brandishing large scarves. [1]
- The Promise: Because of their immense historical and aesthetic value,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art asked Trump to preserve the friezes, and he publicly promised to safely remove and donate them to the museum's collection. [1, 2, 3] - The Demolition: In June 1980, upon discovering that carefully cutting out the panels would cost roughly $32,000 and delay his construction timeline by two weeks, Trump ordered his demolition crew to smash the friezes with jackhammers. They shattered completely and were buried under the building's rubble. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- The Response: Acting under the pseudonym "John Baron," Trump's organization defended the act to the New York Times, claiming the sculptures were "without artistic merit" to justify the decision. The act sparked widespread public outrage and condemnation from New York's cultural preservation community. [1, 2, 3]
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