Mayor Zohran Mamdani Moves Into Gracie Mansion, Cites Security Needs and Plans To Open Residence To New Yorkers

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, began moving into the city’s official mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion, on Monday — trading a leaky $2,300-per-month one-bedroom in Queens for an 11,000-square-foot, fully staffed home on Manhattan’s East River.

From Queens Apartment To Historic Mansion

As movers carried houseplants and rolled-up carpets onto the riverfront lawn, Mamdani held a brief news conference to mark the familiar civic transition. He described the move as “beginning a new chapter” and acknowledged the symbolic contrast between his former modest apartment and his new official residence.

Movers carry a mattress to Gracie Mansion, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

“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.

Gracie Mansion: Features And History

Gracie Mansion — designated the official mayoral residence in 1942 — is a custard-colored 18th-century house with about 11,000 square feet (1,021 square meters) of space. The residence includes a private chef, an ornate ballroom, and a veranda overlooking the East River. The home also retains the fireplace linked in lore to Alexander Hamilton’s fatal duel with Aaron Burr and, according to former Mayor Eric Adams, at least one ghost.

Why They Moved

Mamdani, 34, a self-described democratic socialist, said enhanced security requirements for his new role were a major factor in the decision to relocate. He acknowledged the move could seem to contradict his pledge to lead “a government that looks and lives like the people it represents,” and said he plans to make the mansion more accessible to everyday New Yorkers.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference at Gracie Mansion, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

On a lighter note, Mamdani joked about an “aspirational hope” to install bidets in the bathrooms once they’re settled.

Personal Background And Neighborhood Notes

Mamdani spent much of his childhood in a Columbia University–subsidized Manhattan apartment where his father works as a professor. While serving in the State Legislature he lived in Astoria, Queens, a diverse, relatively affordable neighborhood often nicknamed the “People’s Republic of Astoria” for its recent tendency to elect left-leaning representatives.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, right, and his wife Rama Duwaji leave a news conference at Gracie Mansion, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Before leaving Astoria, Mamdani said 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 Upper East Side surroundings are among the city’s wealthiest and are nearly three-quarters white. While Mamdani won Astoria handily, his mayoral opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, carried the Upper East Side by double digits.

A delivery worker shows a package sent to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani outside Gracie Mansion, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Neighbors React

As she walked her cockapoo near the mansion, longtime Upper East Sider Zoe Cuddy, a neuropsychologist, said she hoped the mayor would come to appreciate the neighborhood’s quieter charms, which she compared to “the suburbs of Manhattan.”

“I think we’ll grow to be happy to have him here,” she added.

The move marks another symbolic step in Mamdani’s transition to city leadership: balancing the practical demands of office — including security — with a promise to keep the mayor’s office connected to everyday New Yorkers.