Gracie Mansion

Archibald Gracie Mansion (commonly called Gracie Mansion) is the official residence of the Mayor of New York City.[2] Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan. The mansion overlooks Hell Gate channel in the East River.[3]

Archibald Gracie Mansion
East front
LocationEast End Ave. at 88th St., Manhattan, New York City, New York
Coordinates40°46′34″N 73°56′36″W
Built1799[1]
ArchitectArchibald Gracie
Architectural styleFederal Style
NRHP reference No.75001205
NYSRHP No.06101.000009
NYCL No.0179
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 12, 1975[1]
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980
Designated NYCLSeptember 20, 1966

History

Before construction and early days
Landmark plaque

George Washington commandeered an earlier house on approximately the same site during the American Revolutionary War, as it strategically overlooked Hell Gate. That house, called Belview Mansion, was the country home of Jacob Walton, a New York merchant. The British destroyed it during the war.

In 1799, Archibald Gracie built a new house on the same site, now known as Gracie Mansion. In the fall of 1801, Gracie hosted a meeting there of New York Federalists, called by Alexander Hamilton, to raise $10,000 to establish the New York Evening Post newspaper, which eventually became the New York Post. Gracie used the house as his country home until 1823, when he had to sell it to pay debts.

Later history

Other people lived in the house until 1896, when the municipal government seized it and made its grounds part of Carl Schurz Park. It served various functions as part of that park. At various times it housed public restrooms, an ice cream stand, and classrooms, until 1924. From 1924 until 1936, it housed the Museum of the City of New York. From 1936 until 1942, it was shown as a historical house.

In 1942, Robert Moses convinced Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia to appropriate the house as a mayoral residence. La Guardia preferred to call the residence "Gracie Farm"[4][5]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1]

Recent use

The house may only be used for official city business. Only visiting public officials and the mayor's family may reside with the mayor at the mansion, even for a single overnight stay. This has prevented some recent mayors from living in the mansion. In 2001 Rudy Giuliani was forced to move out after he had been barred by a judge from bringing his then-girlfriend Judith Nathan to live with him in the mansion, a matter complicated by the fact that his estranged wife, Donna Hanover, refused to vacate the premises.[6]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, likewise, never resided at Gracie Mansion, partially because regulations prevented him from moving in with his long-term partner, Diana Taylor, but also believing that the house should be left open to the public.[7] However, he did use it for meetings and events; he also used the Mansion as a place for official visitors to stay while in the city. At the beginning of Bloomberg's term, he initiated a major restoration of the mansion, funded by an anonymous donor, suspected of being the billionaire mayor himself.[8]

Mayor Bill de Blasio broke with his predecessors, moving into Gracie Mansion in July 2012, after spending the first six months of his mayoralty in his previous Park Slope home.[9]

Mayor Eric Adams and his family currently live in Gracie Mansion. Its main floor is open to the public on a limited basis for guided tours, as of May 2023.[10]

Architecture
Western side

Archibald Gracie built the two-story wooden mansion in the Federal style. The design of the structure is attributed to Ezra Weeks, a prominent builder, or John McComb Jr., the architect of New York City Hall and Hamilton Grange, Alexander Hamilton's country home in Harlem, New York.[11]

At the suggestion of Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.'s wife, Susan, plans were prepared by architect Mott B. Schmidt for a new west wing. The annex, was dedicated on September 27, 1966 and is now known as the Susan B. Wagner wing.[12] Criticized by some at the time for not being "modern," in style, the wing has come to be regarded by many as an appropriate solution to the problem of expanding the small house for official functions. The Gracie Mansion Conservancy restored portions of the building during 1981–1984, and further substantial decorative and functional restorations were made in 2002.[13]

See also

References

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Gracie Mansion". Field Trip.com. Retrieved August 2, 2008.
  3. "East End Ave, Yorkville". Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  4. Shientag, Florence Perlow (October 27, 1979). "Fiorello's Gracie Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. Hampson, Rick. "Mayoral mansions have mixed track record". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  6. Bumiller, Elizabeth (June 29, 2001). "Giuliani May Leave Mansion To Escape Marital Tensions". New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  7. Dwyer, Jim (March 27, 2012). "With Empty Homes All Over the Globe, an Easy Position to Take". New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  8. Steinhauer, Jennifer (April 28, 2002). "A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2011. The exterior part of the restoration will cost $85,000, paid for mostly by an anonymous donor who is widely believed to be the mayor himself. (His aides are not confirming. Nor are they denying.)
  9. "Mayor, family now live in historic Gracie Mansion". Associated Press. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  10. "Book A Tour". Gracie Mansion Conservancy. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  11. Kahn, Max (1974). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Gracie Mansion". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2011. See also: "Accompanying photo". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012.
  12. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, designation report dated September 20, 1966.
  13. "A Brief History of Gracie Mansion". The Official Website of the City of New York. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  14. Fairstein, Linda (2010). Hell Gate. Dutton Books. ASIN B004UQ9E02.
  15. "FAQs". The Yule Log.
  16. Bernstein, Richard (June 11, 1997). "A Passionate Idealist With a Golem and Bad Luck". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

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