Gracie Mansion Has Been Referred to as a "Little White House" for New York City's Mayor

Most states have an official governor's mansion for the sitting governor and their family to live in during their term in office. For New York City's mayor, winning candidates have Gracie Mansion in Manhattan. It's a historic property that has undergone expansions over the course of its existence, but since the mayor has the option to live on the property, people want to know what the inside of Gracie Mansion looks like.

Like the White House, Gracie Mansion has certain parts that have remained the same over the years, if only undergoing renovations to keep the property and structure safe to live in. However, also like the White House, the politicians who live in Gracie Mansion are allowed to add their own modern furnishings and touches. Though to be clear, per the Historic House Trust of New York City, Gracie Mansion is officially owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Although the sitting mayor does live at Gracie Mansion, the public can tour the first floor of the historic house. You can book group tours, school tours, and even tea tours. Guests have the ability to learn about the house's history, including getting to see what the inside of the property looks like, for a small fee.

The inside of Gracie Mansion doesn't necessarily look exactly as it did when the house first became the official city mayor's home in 1942. However, per the Gracie Mansion Conservancy organization in a YouTube video tour, furniture seen throughout the first floor was loaned and donated to maintain an appearance of "the building's federal period origins."

As a result, the rooms feature lots of wood paneling, wainscoting, and gold-framed portraits of important historical figures, including the original owners of the house. When Michael Bloomberg was the mayor of New York City, he paid to have an interior designer update parts of Gracie Mansion. But don't worry, because there has not been a millennial grey overhaul on the historic property, and there probably never will be.

One of the things that stood out about Zohran Mamdani when he was elected mayor of New York City in 2025 was his Astoria apartment he still lived in with his wife, Rama Duwaji. There was even speculation that he might maintain his apartment while serving as mayor. However, in December 2025, he released a statement where he shared that he and his wife would move into Gracie Mansion.

"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," Mamdani said in the statement, per CBS News. "My priority, always, is serving the people who call this city home. I will be a mayor for the line cooks on Steinway, for the children swinging at Dutch Kills Playground, for the bus riders waiting for the Q101."