The Trump Name: How Much of New York’s Skyline Still Carries It — and Why Lots of Buildings Don’t Want It Anymore

Donald Trump’s name used to be shorthand for brass-and-glass Manhattan swagger. Today it’s become, for a surprising number of owners and residents, a headache they’d rather be rid of. The Trump Organization still has a visible presence in New York real estate, but the gilded lettering that once announced “Trump” on dozens of buildings has been peeled off, painted over, hidden, or quietly rebranded across the city.

Below I walk through which New York properties actually carried the name and, more importantly, which ones have removed it and why.

Which buildings actually still carry Trump ownership or strong ties

Quick reality check: having “Trump” on a building doesn’t always mean the Trump Organization owns it outright. The company has historically held a mix of full ownership, ground leases, management contracts, licensing deals and minority stakes — and that patchwork matters when owners decide whether to keep the name. (Longform analyses of the brand’s market effect show values for Trump-branded condos in Manhattan have slipped over the last decade.)

The big NYC removals — who peeled the letters off, and when

Below are the most prominent New York-area examples where owners, boards, or managers moved to remove or mute the Trump name — with the short backstory for each.

Trump Place → 200 Riverside Boulevard (Upper West Side)
One of the most publicized cases: condo owners on Riverside Boulevard voted to remove “Trump Place” from their buildings, and the signage was taken down after campaigns by residents who said the name hurt resale value and made them uncomfortable. By late 2018–2019 the series of towers along Riverside had largely shed the Trump branding and began being referenced by their addresses.
All six “Trump Place” buildings on the West Side
What began as isolated votes turned into all six of the “Trump Place” buildings along Riverside Boulevard moving away from the Trump name over time — a cumulative renaming that undercut the “Trump City” idea that had been coined in the 1990s.
Trump Tower at City Place (White Plains) → “The Tower at City Place”
Condo owners in suburban and smaller-city developments have also voted to strip the Trump name; White Plains’ City Place went through a rebrand after residents pushed to remove Trump from signage and marketing. (Similar suburban rebrands happened in other non-Manhattan properties.)
Trump Plaza (West Palm Beach and other Florida condos)
Owners at multiple Florida condo complexes have voted to remove the Trump name in the last several years — sometimes in unanimous votes after January 6, 2021, and sometimes earlier as name-recognition became a liability for local resale. (This shows the phenomenon isn’t strictly New York-only.)
Trump Plaza (New Rochelle) — management change
Some buildings haven’t formally renamed themselves, but they’ve terminated management contracts with the Trump Organization or replaced management firms, effectively severing operational ties even if the physical lettering remained for a time.
Trump Palace / Trump Palace discussions (Upper East Side)
Large, well-known towers such as Trump Palace have seen owner-led discussions and votes about removing the name — even when the process is dragged out by legal and contractual complications. Bloomberg and other outlets reported owners weighing the costs and logistics of taking down the big brass letters.
Other national examples (context that helps explain NYC moves)
A number of licensed hotels, condos and buildings outside NYC — from Panama City projects to West Palm Beach towers and other condo complexes around the U.S. — also dropped the Trump name after political controversies or simply because owners concluded it was a market drag. Business Insider, Forbes and other outlets compiled lists showing a handful of notable removals nationwide, which helps explain the local momentum in New York.

Why so many owners chose to remove the name (short answer: money, image, safety and politics)

A few recurring reasons drove these decisions:

Resale value and marketability. Analysts and local real-estate reporters noted that buildings removing Trump signage sometimes saw improved buyer interest; one analysis found Trump-branded condos in Manhattan lost value relative to the broader market over recent years. Owners are practical: if the name makes units harder to sell, they vote to change it.
Tenant/owner pressure and reputational risk. Residents who felt embarrassed or worried about association organized petitions and votes; in some cases neighbors and local activists cheered the sign removals.
Security and liability concerns. Owners worried about demonstrations, media attention, or security costs tied to a politically charged name on a residential building.
Contract/legal/financial friction. Removing a name can be politically and legally messy: license deals, management contracts, signage leases and municipal approvals can slow things down (which is why some buildings have retained quiet ties while removing public signage).

What staying power the Trump Organization still has

Even when a building removes the giant letters, the Trump Organization sometimes remains involved behind the scenes — as a manager, as the holder of a ground lease, or as a licensor. So removing the name is often a visible step, not always a full disentanglement of business relationships. That nuance explains why some buildings remove external branding but continue contractual ties for months or years after.

A quick list (who removed the name / when / why)

200 Riverside Boulevard (formerly Trump Place) — owners voted to remove the name amid resale and reputation concerns (2018–2019).
All six Trump Place towers on Riverside Boulevard — collectively shed the branding over time.
Trump Tower at City Place (White Plains) — rebranded after owner/condo votes.
Multiple Florida condo complexes (including some near Mar-a-Lago/West Palm Beach) — owners voted to remove the Trump name after 2016–2021 controversies.
Other licensed properties worldwide — several hotels and projects that had licensed the Trump name asked to or were forced to change branding after brand-specific controversies.

What to watch next

Branding decisions are pragmatic: expect more case-by-case moves as owners weigh short-term political heat versus long-term contractual entanglements. Watch resale data and board minutes — when the market penalizes a name, owners move fast; when the market stabilizes, some signage returns or quietly remains. Curbed’s recent market analysis is a good place to track whether the “Trump discount” continues or narrows.

Conclusion

The Trump name is no longer the simple billboard of 1990s Manhattan. Where it once read as a one-word promise of luxury and spectacle, it has become a political and commercial variable — and a liability in many markets. In New York, dozens of owners and condo boards have chosen to peel back the brass letters, opting for addresses and neutral names instead. That trend shows how closely real estate value is tied to public sentiment: at the end of the day, owners vote with the market (and, sometimes literally, with a razor blade and a crane). The Trump Organization’s influence remains where contracts and leases keep it in play, but the visible, gleaming signature that once dominated the skyline is steadily being diluted — one sign at a time.