Andrew Tesoro: Architect Stiffed on $140,000 in Fees for Trump National Golf Club Westchester Clubhouse
Tier 3Resolved2002-01-01 to 2006-12-31
Factual Summary
In 2002, architect Andrew Tesoro was commissioned to design a new clubhouse at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, Westchester County, New York. The project spanned four years and was completed in 2006. Upon completion, Tesoro submitted a bill for approximately $140,000 in outstanding fees, which included roughly $80,000 in additional architectural services that had been directed, approved, and implemented with Trump's knowledge.
The Trump Organization offered a fraction of the amount owed. Tesoro was called to the clubhouse for a meeting at which Trump Organization representatives told him they would pay $50,000 on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. That amount was never paid. In a subsequent face-to-face meeting, Donald Trump told Tesoro he was a good architect but that he had spent too much on the building and did not think he should pay any more. Trump offered $25,000, roughly 18 percent of the outstanding balance. Trump's attorney warned Tesoro that if he pursued litigation, the Trump Organization would ensure the process took so long and cost so much that it would ruin him financially.
Tesoro accepted the $25,000 and did not file suit. He later described the experience as humiliating, stating that the Trump Organization "basically ganged up" on him. He opened lines of credit to keep his architecture practice afloat. Tesoro told reporters the project "sent his practice to the brink of extinction."
Primary Sources
1. Tesoro's firsthand account published by Architizer: "The World's Worst Client: Donald Trump's Architect Speaks Out on the Presidential Candidate's Rogue Tactics," September 2016: https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/the-worlds-worst-client-donald-trump/
2. Fast Company: "The Architect Trump Screwed Over," September 2016: https://www.fastcompany.com/3064121/the-architect-trump-screwed-over
3. Patch: "Dissed at the Debate: Architect for Trump's Briarcliff Golf Club Speaks Out," September 2016: https://patch.com/new-york/pleasantville/dissed-debate-architect-trumps-briarcliff-golf-club-speaks-out
Corroborating Sources
1. Forward: "Meet Donald Trump's Jewish Architect Who's Now Helping the Clinton Campaign," August 2016
2. Common Edge: "Donald Trump as Architecture's Nightmare Client," September 2016
3. Building (UK): "The disgruntled architect and the Clinton v Trump debate," October 2016
Counterarguments and Context
Trump and his organization did not publicly dispute Tesoro's account in detail. The general Trump Organization position on contractor disputes has been that payments were reduced because the work was substandard or over budget. Tesoro maintains that all additional services were approved and that the work met the client's expectations. No legal proceedings were filed, so the dispute was never adjudicated.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the facts rest on Tesoro's detailed, consistent public account rather than court records or adjudicated findings. Tesoro's account was published in multiple credible outlets and has not been substantively disputed. The pattern of reducing contractor payments through intimidation rather than through contractual remedies is consistent with documented cases across multiple Trump projects.