Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani To Move From Queens Apartment To Historic Gracie Mansion

New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that he and his wife, illustrator Rama Duwaji, will leave their rent-controlled two-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens, to reside at the city’s official mayoral home, Gracie Mansion, after he is sworn in on January 1.

The Democratic socialist, who won last month’s mayoral race by a comfortable margin, said the move was driven primarily by security concerns and the need to focus fully on delivering the affordability agenda he campaigned on.

Gracie Mansion, a riverside house built in 1799, exceeds 10,000 square feet (about 1,000 square meters) and has served as the New York mayor’s official residence since 1942. While most recent mayors have lived there, residency is not mandatory; Michael Bloomberg notably chose not to reside at the mansion during his 2002–2013 tenure.

"We have called this neighborhood home as our city weathered a devastating pandemic, cruel attacks on immigrants, and years of an affordability crisis. Time and again, this community has shown up for one another. We will miss it all," the statement from Mamdani and Duwaji said.

The couple said they were reluctant to leave Astoria — a neighborhood with a large, diverse immigrant population that they called home during trying years for the city — but that prioritizing family safety and ensuring the mayor can concentrate on policy outweighed that reluctance.

At 34, Mamdani will be the youngest person to serve as New York City mayor in more than a century. His housing situation has attracted criticism: he has been living in subsidized, rent-controlled housing, paying about $2,300 per month, which opponents say was an unnecessary subsidy given his Assembly salary and his wife’s income.

Mamdani has framed the decision as a balance between personal safety and public duty, saying the move will allow him to dedicate his attention to tackling housing affordability and other priorities for New Yorkers.

Timeline: He is scheduled to assume office and take up residence at Gracie Mansion on January 1.