Democratic candidate for New York Metropolis mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his spouse, Rama Duwaji vote within the New York Metropolis mayoral election at a polling website on the Frank Sinatra College of the Arts Excessive College in Astoria, Queens, on Nov. 4, 2025.
REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani mentioned Monday that he and his spouse are shifting into Gracie Mansion, the standard dwelling of most NYC mayors — however whether or not he’ll nonetheless maintain on to his rent-stabilized condo in Queens is unclear.
The 34-year-old outgoing Queens Meeting member and his spouse will transfer into the Higher East Aspect dwelling, a historic landmark positioned inside Carl Schurz Park and overlooking the East River, when he takes workplace on Jan. 1. He introduced the choice on Instagram on Dec. 8.
Mamdani mentioned he made the choice to maneuver uptown for security causes and to deal with the affordability agenda he pushed throughout his marketing campaign. On the forefront of that agenda is freezing hire for two million stabilized tenants, impacting a couple of quarter of all NYC flats, and creating “fast and free” buses. Though Mamdani’s rent-freeze promise is formidable, he has mentioned he would assist make it occur by appointing Lease Pointers Board members who would vote to maintain stabilized rents flat every year.
“This decision came down to our family’s safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for,” he wrote within the publish.
Though Gracie Mansion, inbuilt 1799, is called the official residence of the mayor of NYC, not each mayor chooses to dwell there. The final two mayors — outgoing Eric Adams and his predecessor, Invoice de Blasio — took up residence at Gracie Mansion, however earlier than them, Michael Bloomberg selected to dwell in his personal non-public Manhattan dwelling throughout his three consecutive phrases in workplace.
The historic house is a two-story Federal-style home positioned at East Finish Avenue and 88th Avenue. It boasts 5 bedrooms and 5 bogs on its 11,000 sq. toes of dwelling house. In response to the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, it is among the oldest surviving wood constructions in Manhattan. It has gone by means of a number of renovations, together with in 2002 when the inside and exterior have been renovated to extend accessibility to the general public and metropolis companies.
Mayor Eric Adams talking to reporters at Gracie Mansion. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.Photograph by Ethan Stark-Miller
Mamdani is the primary mayor since Ed Koch to have beforehand lived in a rent-stabilized or rent-controlled condo. Koch moved into Gracie Mansion in 1978 after his election as town’s a hundred and fifth mayor, however retained his rent-controlled condo in Greenwich Village throughout his three phrases in workplace.
Whereas the politician reminisced that he would miss his dwelling in Queens, he didn’t say whether or not he or his household would nonetheless pay the hire on the stabilized, in-demand one-bedroom condo. New York News contacted the mayor-elect’s workforce to inquire about the way forward for the dwelling, however is awaiting a response.
In the course of the marketing campaign path, Mamdani’s dwelling state of affairs turned a heated subject of debate among the many mayoral contenders. His primary opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, razzed him over his occupancy of a rent-stabilized condo whereas incomes over $140,000 from his job in state authorities.
In December 2022, New York legislators gave themselves a 29% increase over their $110,000 wage. Mamdani has been within the Meeting since 2021.
Mamdani and his spouse have lived in Astoria, certainly one of NYC’s trendiest neighborhoods, for a number of years. He described what he’ll miss about each his condo and the encircling neighborhood.
“We will miss much about our home in Astoria,” he mentioned. “Cooking dinner side by side in our kitchen, sharing a sleepy elevator ride with our neighbors in the evening, hearing music and laughter vibrate through the walls of the apartment.”
The couple will possible have to regulate to the options of their new dwelling, a rustic home located alongside a scenic bend on the East River — a vastly completely different view from the bustling metro scene of Astoria, Queens.
“While I may no longer live in Astoria, Astoria will always live inside me and the work I do,” the mayor-elect mentioned.
