The move marks the latest inaugural milestone for Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist who pledged during his campaign to lead a government that ‘looks and lives like the people it represents.’ He cited new security requirements among the reasons for occupying the historic residence, and said he plans to open it to New Yorkers who rarely have occasion to visit such a place.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji moved into Gracie Mansion on Monday, trading their flood-prone, one-bedroom rental in Astoria, Queens, for the city’s 11,000-square-foot official mayoral residence on the Upper East Side of Manhattan — complete with a private chef, an ornate ballroom, and a veranda overlooking the East River.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, held a press conference on the mansion’s riverfront lawn as workers unloaded cardboard boxes stuffed with houseplants and rolled-up carpets.
“Today, Rama and I feel lucky to participate in a ritual that so many New Yorkers have experienced at various meaningful moments in their lives: Beginning a new chapter, by moving to a different part of the city that we call home,” Mamdani said.
The move marks the latest inaugural milestone for Mamdani, whose campaign pledge to lead a government that “looks and lives like the people it represents” invited some attention given the contrast in addresses. He cited new security requirements as among the reasons for taking up residence at the mansion, and said he intends to open it to New Yorkers who rarely have occasion to visit.
From a Leaky Flat to an 18th-Century Landmark
The apartment Mamdani and Duwaji left behind rented for $2,300 a month, lacked a washer and dryer, and was prone to flooding from a broken pipe. Gracie Mansion has operated as the official mayoral residence since its 1942 designation. Nearly all of the city’s mayors have slept there at least occasionally, according to the Associated Press.
The stately, custard-colored 18th-century home also carries a historical footnote: it reportedly contains the original fireplace upon which Alexander Hamilton died following his duel with Aaron Burr. Former Mayor Eric Adams, according to the AP, once noted the mansion has at least one ghost.
On the question of cosmetic changes, Mamdani described an “aspirational hope” of installing bidets in the bathrooms. Once settled, he said, he plans on “opening it up to New Yorkers who are not often the ones who get to visit such a place as this.”
Astoria to the Upper East Side
Mamdani spent most of his childhood in a Manhattan apartment subsidized by Columbia University, where his father works as a professor. He later moved to Astoria while serving in New York’s state Legislature — a Queens neighborhood sometimes called “the People’s Republic of Astoria” for its recent record of electing left-wing representatives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Before leaving, Mamdani released a statement saying he would miss “the endless Adeni chai, the spirited conversations in Spanish, Arabic and every language in between, the aromas of seafood and shawarma drifting down the block.”
His new neighborhood offers a different character. The Upper East Side is among the city’s wealthiest districts and is nearly three-quarters white, according to the AP. In the recent mayoral race, Mamdani’s opponent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, carried the Upper East Side by double digits; Mamdani won Astoria overwhelmingly.
Zoe Cuddy, a neuropsychologist and longtime Upper East Side resident, said she hoped the new mayor would come to appreciate the area’s quieter qualities. She predicted her neighbors would warm to his arrival.
“I think we’ll grow to be happy to have him here,” she said.