New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will live in the Manhattan mansion his predecessors called home, leaving behind a rent-stabilized apartment that became the subject of heated debate during his campaign.
Gracie Mansion, dating back to 1799, has been the residence of most of New York City’s mayors since the time of World War II.
But Mamdani, for whom affordable housing is a central issue, did not confirm that he would live there immediately after his victory in November.
“This decision was driven by the safety of our family and the importance of devoting my full attention to implementing the affordability agenda that New Yorkers voted for,” Mamdani said in a statement Monday.
Mamdani lived in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. The area, home to many middle-class families, is famous for its abundance of immigrant communities and global cuisine.
“To Astoria: Thank you for showing us the best of New York City,” Mamdani’s statement read.
“Even though I no longer live in Astoria, Astoria will always live within me and the work I do,” he said.
During his campaign, Mamdani tied his core platform (freezing rent) to his own real estate situation. But his rivals, primarily former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, criticized Mamdani for occupying the apartment even though he came from a famous family. His mother is filmmaker Mira Nair and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor at Columbia University.
Not all mayors have chosen to live in Gracie Mansion.
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and founder of the financial terminals of the same name, chose to live in his own home in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan during his three terms in office, which ended in 2012.
Instead, Bloomberg said he believed it should be a space for public city functions and pushed for a thorough renovation of the former mansion.
When Mamdani moves into Gracie Mansion sometime around his January 1 inauguration, he will find himself in a very different environment than his modest Astoria.
With its butter yellow paint, green shutters, and white railings, Gracie Mansion is a wedding cake house overlooking the East River. Inside, the ground floor of this Federal-style mansion is decorated in the spirit of the home’s original era.
The complex, which reportedly has five bedrooms, also has enhanced security to protect the mayor and his family.
Some residents have alleged that Gracie Mansion also has supernatural tenants. Chirlane McCray, wife of former Mayor Bill De Blasio, told reporters that the doors occasionally opened and closed on their own and the floorboards creaked eerily.
Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams was more confident. “I don’t care what they say,” he declared in 2022. “There’s ghosts in there, man.”
Mamdani’s current apartment is rent-stabilized, meaning the city sets limits on how much landlords can raise the rent each year. New Yorkers see these apartments as a valuable lifeline, as the cost of housing exceeds what many can afford.
Records showed Mamdani paid around $2,300 (£1,725) each month for his apartment. According to real estate platform Zillow, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New York City is $3,500 (£2,625) a month.
