New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will live in the Manhattan mansion his predecessors called home, leaving behind the rent-stabilized apartment that was the subject of heated debate during his campaign.
Built in 1799, Gracie Mansion served as the residence of the mayor of New York for most of the post-World War II era.
But Mamdani, for whom affordable housing is a key issue, did not immediately confirm he would live there after his November victory.
“This decision came down to the safety of our families and the importance of keeping all our focus on enacting the affordability agenda that New Yorkers voted for,” Mamdani said in a statement Monday.
Mamdani lived in the Astoria neighborhood of the borough of Queens. Home to many middle-class families, the area is known for its rich immigrant community and international cuisine.
“To Astoria: Thank you for showing us the best of New York City,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“Even if I no longer live in Astoria, Astoria will always live in me and in what I do,” he said.
During the campaign, Mamdani linked her core platform, a rent freeze, to her housing situation. But his rival, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, accused Mamdani of occupying the apartment despite being from a prominent family. His mother is filmmaker Mira Nair and his father Mahmood Mamdani is a professor at Columbia University.
Not every mayor chooses to live in Gracie Mansion.
Billionaire entrepreneur and financial terminal founder Michael Bloomberg chose to live in his townhouse in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood during his three terms, which ended in 2012.
Instead, Bloomberg said he pushed for a major renovation of the aging mansion, believing it should be a space for public urban functions.
When Mamdani moves into Gracie Mansion around the Jan. 1 inauguration, he will find himself in a very different environment from his usual Astoria digs.
With its butter yellow paint, green shutters, and white railings, Gracie Mansion is the wedding cake of a home overlooking the East River. Inside, the lower level of the Federal-style mansion is decorated in the spirit of the home’s original era.
The building, which reportedly has five bedrooms, has also had increased security to protect the mayor and his family.
Some residents have claimed that Gracie Mansion also has supernatural lodgers. Chirlane McCray, the wife of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, told reporters that the doors sometimes opened and closed on their own and the floorboards creaked eerily.
Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams was more certain. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he declared in 2022. “There are ghosts there.”
Mamdani’s current apartment is rent stabilized. This means the city sets limits on how much landlords can increase rent each year. New Yorkers see these apartments as a valuable lifeline as housing costs exceed what many can afford.
Records show Mamdani paid around $2,300 (£1,725) a month for his apartment. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New York City is $3,500 (£2,625) per month, according to real estate platform Zillow.
