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Coordinates: 40°46′34″N 73°56′36″W / 40.77611°N 73.94333°W / 40.77611; -73.94333
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* https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#/nancy_bunche
* https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#/nancy_bunche
* <s>http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/380.pdf</s>
* <s>http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/380.pdf</s>
* https://livingnewdeal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/A-tribute-to-the-New-Deal-funded-restorations-to-Gracie-Mansion.pdf


* ("gracie mansion" or "gracie manor" or "gracie house" or (("archibald gracie") and ("manor" or "mansion" or "house"))) AND ("manhattan" OR "New York") NOT ("Spare Times" OR "Display Ad" OR "Classified Ad" OR "Advertisement" OR "Arrival of Buyers" OR "Paid Notice" OR "Other" "No title" OR "What's in bloom")
* ("gracie mansion" or "gracie manor" or "gracie house" or (("archibald gracie") and ("manor" or "mansion" or "house"))) AND ("manhattan" OR "New York") NOT ("Spare Times" OR "Display Ad" OR "Classified Ad" OR "Advertisement" OR "Arrival of Buyers" OR "Paid Notice" OR "Other" "No title" OR "What's in bloom")
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The Europeans settled what is now New York City in the 17th century. From that point until the end of the 19th century, only six men have owned the site.<ref name="Black p. 6">{{harvnb|Black|1984|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> The first European owner of Gracie Mansion's site was Sybout Claessan, who received {{Convert|106|acre}} from the [[Dutch West India Company]] in 1746.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Stokes Paltsits Wieder 1922 p. 106">{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=I.N.P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5lQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA106 |title=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: The period of discovery (565-1626); the Dutch period (1626-1664). The English period (1664-1763). The Revolutionary period, part I (1763-1776) |last2=Paltsits |first2=V.H. |last3=Wieder |first3=F.C. |publisher=Robert H. Dodd |year=1922 |series=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909 |page=106}}</ref> Claessan's land, which includes Carl Schurz Park,<ref name="Stokes Paltsits Wieder 1922 p. 106" /> was initially known as Hoorn's Hook or Horn's Hook, after the city of [[Hoorn]] in [[North Holland]].<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250">{{cite fednyc|page=250}}</ref>
The Europeans settled what is now New York City in the 17th century. From that point until the end of the 19th century, only six men have owned the site.<ref name="Black p. 6">{{harvnb|Black|1984|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> The first European owner of Gracie Mansion's site was Sybout Claessan, who received {{Convert|106|acre}} from the [[Dutch West India Company]] in 1746.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Stokes Paltsits Wieder 1922 p. 106">{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=I.N.P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5lQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA106 |title=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: The period of discovery (565-1626); the Dutch period (1626-1664). The English period (1664-1763). The Revolutionary period, part I (1763-1776) |last2=Paltsits |first2=V.H. |last3=Wieder |first3=F.C. |publisher=Robert H. Dodd |year=1922 |series=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909 |page=106}}</ref> Claessan's land, which includes Carl Schurz Park,<ref name="Stokes Paltsits Wieder 1922 p. 106" /> was initially known as Hoorn's Hook or Horn's Hook, after the city of [[Hoorn]] in [[North Holland]].<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250">{{cite fednyc|page=250}}</ref>


Jacob Walton, a merchant from what is now [[Flatbush]] in [[Brooklyn]], built a house on the site of Gracie Mansion in 1770. He moved into the house with his wife Polly Cruger.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> The house, known as Belview Mansion,<ref name="nyt-2007-10-23">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=2007-10-23 |title=In Drawing, Guide to Past of Gracie Mansion Site |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/nyregion/23gracie.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> included a hidden tunnel to the East River.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> Drawings indicate that the earlier mansion was composed of a two-story central section and one-story wings on either side. Ornamentation on that house included [[Quoin|quoins]] at its corners; [[Keystone (architecture)|keystones]] above the windows; a [[weather vane]] and [[Finial|finials]] at the roof; and a triple [[Bay (architecture)|bay]] of windows at the end of each wing.<ref name="nyt-2007-10-23" /> During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Waltons, who were [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]],<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> were forced to leave the house in 1776 to make way for [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]] troops.<ref name="Sabine 2009 p. 396">{{cite book |last=Sabine |first=Lorenzo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEiVJDobwpEC&pg=PA396 |title=Biographical Sketches V3 |publisher=Applewood Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4290-1953-8 |series=Papers of George Washington: R |page=396}}</ref> Patriot commander [[George Washington]] took over Belview Mansion, and the British destroyed it during the war.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /> For more than two centuries, there was little documentation on Belview Mansion's existence.<ref name="nyt-2007-10-23" />
Jacob Walton, a merchant from what is now [[Flatbush]] in [[Brooklyn]], built a house on the site of Gracie Mansion in 1770. He moved into the house with his wife Polly Cruger.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> The house was known as Belview Mansion. Drawings indicate that the earlier mansion was composed of a two-story central section and one-story wings on either side. Ornamentation on that house included [[Quoin|quoins]] at its corners; [[Keystone (architecture)|keystones]] above the windows; a [[weather vane]] and [[Finial|finials]] at the roof; and a triple [[Bay (architecture)|bay]] of windows at the end of each wing.<ref name="nyt-2007-10-23">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=2007-10-23 |title=In Drawing, Guide to Past of Gracie Mansion Site |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/nyregion/23gracie.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the Waltons, who were [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]],<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> were forced to leave the house in 1776 to make way for [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]] troops.<ref name="Sabine 2009 p. 396">{{cite book |last=Sabine |first=Lorenzo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEiVJDobwpEC&pg=PA396 |title=Biographical Sketches V3 |publisher=Applewood Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4290-1953-8 |series=Papers of George Washington: R |page=396}}</ref> Patriot commander [[George Washington]] took over Belview Mansion, and the British destroyed it during the war.<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /> For more than two centuries, there was little documentation on Belview Mansion's existence.<ref name="nyt-2007-10-23" />

⚫
Belview Mansion included a hidden tunnel to the East River,<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /> which still existed when Gracie Mansion was developed on the same site.<ref name="York 2022 q307">{{cite web |date=July 28, 2022 |title=Top 10 Secrets of Gracie Mansion, the Home of NYC's Mayor |url=https://untappedcities.com/2022/07/28/secrets-of-gracie-mansion/?displayall=true |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=Untapped New York}}</ref><ref name="p574169560">{{Cite news |last=Erhard |first=Ursinus |date=23 Feb 1913 |title=Mysterious Tunnel Found in New York: Subterransan Passage Leads From Old Gracie Mansion to the East River--Gotham Gossip |page=53 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |id={{Pq|574169560}}}}</ref> The brick tunnel ran north from the mansion's basement and then turned east toward the river. It is not known why the tunnel was built, but one newspaper from 1913 said the tunnel could have been used as an escape route during the American Revolution or used as a secret lover's entrance.<ref name="p574169560" />

* <ref name="York 2022 q307" />


==History==
==History==


===Early use===
===Early use===
In 1799, [[Archibald Gracie]] bought Walton's land and built a new house on the same site.<ref name="Brown p. 138">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|p=138}}</ref> Gracie's mansion was abutted to the west by the house of banker [[Nathaniel Prime]], which later became St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum.<ref name="Brown pp. 138–140">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|pp=138–140}}</ref> 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]]''.
In 1799, [[Archibald Gracie]] bought Walton's land and built a new house on the same site.<ref name="Brown p. 138">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|p=138}}</ref> Gracie's mansion was abutted to the west by the house of banker [[Nathaniel Prime]], which later became St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum.<ref name="Brown pp. 138–140">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|pp=138–140}}</ref> The houses of [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jacob Astor]], and [[Isaac Chauncey]] were also located in the area but have long since been demolished.<ref name="p513766618">{{cite news |last=Ince |first=Ethel C. |date=10 Jan 1942 |title=To Change the Subject: Why Not Cherish New York Landmarks? |page=11 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|513766618}}}}</ref> 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]]''.


During his time at the mansion, Gracie hosted guests such as future French king [[Louis Philippe I]], U.S. president [[John Quincy Adams]], writers [[James Fenimore Cooper]] and [[Washington Irving]], statesman [[Alexander Hamilton]], and businessman [[John Jacob Astor]].<ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48">{{cite book |last=Wilkerson |first=Lyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MvR9Xzq2FIUC&pg=PT48 |title=Historical Cities-New York City |publisher=Caddo Publications USA |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4524-1373-0 |page=48 |access-date=December 23, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /> Gracie expanded the house in 1811.<ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /><ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48" /> Although Gracie's firm lost more than $1 million during the [[War of 1812]], he had finished expanding the mansion in 1815, nearly doubling its previous size.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15">{{Cite news |date=1936-03-15 |title=Old Gracie Home Nearly Restored; Mansion of Former Merchant Prince Likely to Be Opened to Public by May 1. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/15/archives/old-gracie-home-nearly-restored-mansion-of-former-merchant-prince.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He used the house as his country home until 1823.<ref name="Nichols 2018 p. 32">{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozNuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 |title=Hell Gate: A Nexus of New York City's East River |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4384-7140-2 |series=Excelsior Editions |page=32}}</ref><ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48" />
During his time at the mansion, Gracie hosted guests such as Hamilton, Astor, future French king [[Louis Philippe I]], U.S. president [[John Quincy Adams]], and writers [[James Fenimore Cooper]] and [[Washington Irving]].<ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /><ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48">{{cite book |last=Wilkerson |first=Lyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MvR9Xzq2FIUC&pg=PT48 |title=Historical Cities-New York City |publisher=Caddo Publications USA |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4524-1373-0 |page=48 |access-date=December 23, 2023}}</ref> Irving may have written part of his novel ''Astoria'' while at the house. Gracie expanded the house in 1811.<ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /><ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48" /> Although Gracie's firm lost more than $1 million during the [[War of 1812]], he had finished expanding the mansion in 1815, nearly doubling its previous size.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15">{{Cite news |date=1936-03-15 |title=Old Gracie Home Nearly Restored; Mansion of Former Merchant Prince Likely to Be Opened to Public by May 1. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/15/archives/old-gracie-home-nearly-restored-mansion-of-former-merchant-prince.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He used the house as his country home until 1823.<ref name="Nichols 2018 p. 32">{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozNuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 |title=Hell Gate: A Nexus of New York City's East River |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4384-7140-2 |series=Excelsior Editions |page=32}}</ref><ref name="Wilkerson 2010 p. 48" />


Gracie's company, Archibald Gracie & Son, was dissolved in early 1823.<ref name="Black p. 48">{{harvnb|Black|1984|ps=.|p=48}}</ref> Two weeks after the dissolution of Gracie's firm, the house was sold to Joseph Foulke,<ref name="Black p. 48" /> a merchant who had gained his wealth from trading largely in [[Central America]] and the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="Blume 2012 p. 258">{{cite book |last=Blume |first=Kenneth J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_jTIbdFUnYC&pg=PA258 |title=Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Maritime Industry |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8108-5634-9 |series=G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series |page=258}}</ref> Foulke paid $20,500 for the house and about {{Convert|11|acre}} of land, which became known as Foulke's Point.<ref name="Brown p. 140">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|p=140}}</ref>
Gracie's company, Archibald Gracie & Son, was dissolved in early 1823.<ref name="Black p. 48">{{harvnb|Black|1984|ps=.|p=48}}</ref> Two weeks after the dissolution of Gracie's firm, the house was sold to Joseph Foulke,<ref name="Black p. 48" /> a merchant who had gained his wealth from trading largely in [[Central America]] and the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="Blume 2012 p. 258">{{cite book |last=Blume |first=Kenneth J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_jTIbdFUnYC&pg=PA258 |title=Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Maritime Industry |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8108-5634-9 |series=G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series |page=258}}</ref> Foulke paid $20,500 for the house and about {{Convert|11|acre}} of land, which became known as Foulke's Point.<ref name="Brown p. 140">{{harvnb|Brown|1924|ps=.|p=140}}</ref>
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==== Use as museum and historical house ====
==== Use as museum and historical house ====
By 1923, the [[Museum of the City of New York]] (MCNY) and the Patriotic New Yorkers both wanted to take over the house. Although NYC Parks had not awarded control of the house to either organization, ''The New York Times'' wrote that MCNY officials were already marking their letters as having come from Gracie Mansion.<ref name="nyt-1923-06-12">{{Cite news |date=1923-06-12 |title=Gracie Mansion in Dispute; Two Societies Seek Use of Historic House in Carl Schurz Park. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/06/12/archives/gracie-mansion-in-dispute-two-societies-seek-use-of-historic-house.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
By 1923, the [[Museum of the City of New York]] (MCNY) and the Patriotic New Yorkers both wanted to take over the house. Although NYC Parks had not awarded control of the house to either organization, ''The New York Times'' wrote that MCNY officials were already marking their letters as having come from Gracie Mansion.<ref name="nyt-1923-06-12">{{Cite news |date=1923-06-12 |title=Gracie Mansion in Dispute; Two Societies Seek Use of Historic House in Carl Schurz Park. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/06/12/archives/gracie-mansion-in-dispute-two-societies-seek-use-of-historic-house.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Ultimately, the MCNY received control of the mansion and furnished it with objects that were gifted or loaned by other institutions.<ref name="p1112945351">{{cite news |date=15 Apr 1924 |title=New Museum of City's Life To Be Introduced |page=6 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1112945351}}}}</ref>


* From 1924 until 1936, it housed the [[Museum of the City of New York]] (MCNY).
* From 1924 until 1936, it housed the [[Museum of the City of New York]] (MCNY).
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NYC Parks restored the house in 1927.<ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /> In 1929, the city authorized $12,000 in bonds for repairs to Gracie Mansion and for a new fence and asphalt in Carl Schurz Park.<ref name="nyt-1929-09-15">{{Cite news |date=1929-09-15 |title=Improving Schurz Park; Gracie Mansion Repairs Will Benefit Apartment Centre. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/09/15/archives/improving-schurz-park-gracie-mansion-repairs-will-benefit-apartment.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
NYC Parks restored the house in 1927.<ref name="Best Books on Project 1939 p. 250" /> In 1929, the city authorized $12,000 in bonds for repairs to Gracie Mansion and for a new fence and asphalt in Carl Schurz Park.<ref name="nyt-1929-09-15">{{Cite news |date=1929-09-15 |title=Improving Schurz Park; Gracie Mansion Repairs Will Benefit Apartment Centre. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/09/15/archives/improving-schurz-park-gracie-mansion-repairs-will-benefit-apartment.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


The mansion was renovated into a [[historic house museum]] in 1936 as part of a [[Works Progress Administration]] project that also reconstructed Carl Schurz Park. The house had to be thoroughly renovated with new window sills, roof, clapboard, porch, and heating and lighting systems. Although none of the original furniture remained, several organizations agreed to lend 18th- and 19th-century furniture to the house, and the [[Colonial Dames of America]] redecorated another room. The MCNY gave some musical instruments; the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] provided 10 paintings and 19 pieces of furniture, and lawyer [[Francis Patrick Garvan]] lent 61 pieces of furnishings.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15" />
The mansion was renovated into a [[historic house museum]] in 1936 as part of a [[Works Progress Administration]] project that also reconstructed Carl Schurz Park. The house had to be thoroughly renovated with new window sills, roof, clapboard, porch, and heating and lighting systems. Although none of the original furniture remained, several organizations agreed to lend 18th- and 19th-century furniture to the house, and the [[Colonial Dames of America]] redecorated another room. The MCNY gave some musical instruments; the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] provided 10 paintings and 19 pieces of furniture, and lawyer [[Francis Patrick Garvan]] lent 61 pieces of furnishings.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15" /> After the 1936 renovation, the ground floor contained a porch, hall, living room, dining room, sitting room, and curator's room, while the second floor included a child's bedroom, three master bedrooms, and a caretaker's apartment.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15" />


=== Mayor's residence ===
=== Mayor's residence ===
In January 1942, the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] voted unanimously to designate Gracie Mansion as the official residence of mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]]. This followed ten years of efforts to make Gracie Mansion the mayor's residence. Several museums agreed to furnish parts of the house.<ref name="nyt-1942-01-09">{{Cite news |date=1942-01-09 |title=Official Residence Set Up for Mayor; Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park Designated Unanimously by the Board of Estimate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/09/archives/official-residence-set-up-for-mayor-gracie-mansion-in-carl-schurz.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The mansion was intended to be used for both the mayor's personal events and for official business.<ref name="Black p. viii">{{harvnb|Black|1984|ps=.|p=viii}}</ref> This made New York City one of the relative few American cities to have an official mayoral residence.<ref name="Black p. viii" /><ref name="Leapman p. 214">{{harvnb|Leapman|1999|ps=.|p=214}}</ref>[[File:Gracie Mansion Plaque.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Landmark]] plaque]]
[[File:Gracie Mansion Plaque.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Landmark]] plaque]]


==== 1940s to 1990s ====
==== 1940s to 1970s ====
In January 1942, the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] voted unanimously to designate Gracie Mansion as the official residence of mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]]. This followed ten years of efforts to make Gracie Mansion the mayor's residence. Several museums agreed to furnish parts of the house.<ref name="nyt-1942-01-09">{{Cite news |date=1942-01-09 |title=Official Residence Set Up for Mayor; Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park Designated Unanimously by the Board of Estimate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/09/archives/official-residence-set-up-for-mayor-gracie-mansion-in-carl-schurz.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> La Guardia preferred to call the residence "Gracie Farm",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shientag |first=Florence Perlow |date=October 27, 1979 |title=Fiorello's Gracie Mansion |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/27/archives/fiorellos-gracie-mansion.html |access-date=May 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hampson |first=Rick |title=Mayoral mansions have mixed track record |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/11/gracie-mansion-mayoral-mayors-bill-de-blasio/3986973/ |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> To give the mayor's family more privacy, the lawn to the south and east of the mansion was expanded by {{Convert|25|ft}} in 1946.<ref name="p1284578845">{{cite news |date=2 Jul 1946 |title=Gracie Mansion Lawn Extended In Schurz Park: Latter Is Losing 25 Feet to Give More Privacy to Mayor's Official Home |page=24 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284578845}}}}</ref>
La Guardia preferred to call the residence "Gracie Farm",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shientag |first=Florence Perlow |date=October 27, 1979 |title=Fiorello's Gracie Mansion |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/27/archives/fiorellos-gracie-mansion.html |access-date=May 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hampson |first=Rick |title=Mayoral mansions have mixed track record |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/11/gracie-mansion-mayoral-mayors-bill-de-blasio/3986973/ |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> To give the mayor's family more privacy, the lawn to the south and east of the mansion was expanded by {{Convert|25|ft}} in 1946.<ref name="p1284578845">{{cite news |date=2 Jul 1946 |title=Gracie Mansion Lawn Extended In Schurz Park: Latter Is Losing 25 Feet to Give More Privacy to Mayor's Official Home |page=24 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284578845}}}}</ref>


The Committee to Preserve Gracie Mansion as New York's White House (later the Committee for Gracie Mansion) was formed in 1963 to raise money for a future annex to the house. Mayor [[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]]'s wife, Susan, recalled that she was sometimes forced to change in a closet because official city meetings sometimes encroached into the mansion's living space.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-12">{{Cite news |last=Ennis |first=Thomas W. |date=1965-01-12 |title=Gracie Mansion Getting 18th-Century-Style Wing |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/12/archives/gracie-mansion-getting-18thcenturystyle-wing-gracie-mansion-getting.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The architect [[Mott B. Schmidt]] prepared plans for a new west wing. Details of the wing were announced in January 1965; the double-height wing was to cost $700,000 and be privately financed, as Wagner did not believe that taxpayers should be responsible for the expansion. The wing was to be used for meetings and receptions.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-12" /> The annex ultimately cost $800,000<ref name="nyt-1966-09-07">{{Cite news |last=Ennis |first=Thomas W. |date=1966-09-07 |title=Mayor's Home Gets an 18th-Century Reception Wing; Wing of Gracie Mansion to Bow With a Formal Grand Ballroom |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/09/07/archives/mayors-home-gets-an-18thcentury-reception-wing-wing-of-gracie.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and was dedicated on September 27, 1966.
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.<ref>New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, designation report dated September 20, 1966.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Gracie Mansion |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/gracie_video.html |accessdate=June 18, 2022 |work=The Official Website of the City of New York}}</ref>


It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1975.<ref name="nris"/>
It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1975.<ref name="nris"/>


==== 2000s to present ====
==== 1980s and 1990s ====
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.<ref name="nyt_29_06_01">{{cite news |last1=Bumiller |first1=Elizabeth |title=Giuliani May Leave Mansion To Escape Marital Tensions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/29/nyregion/giuliani-may-leave-mansion-to-escape-marital-tensions.html |access-date=September 10, 2020 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=June 29, 2001}}</ref>
Under mayor [[Ed Koch]], the Gracie Mansion Conservancy restored portions of the building during 1981–1984.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Gracie Mansion |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/gracie_video.html |accessdate=June 18, 2022 |work=The Official Website of the City of New York}}</ref> In the late 20th century, city officials found that several "wasteful projects" had been carried out at the mansion under multiple mayors, including a $17,000 desk and a $11,000 headboard.<ref name="nyt-2001-07-12">{{Cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=2001-07-12 |title=Gracie Mansion Needs Attention, But Whose?; Mayor's Marital Dispute Extends to Peeling Paint |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/12/nyregion/gracie-mansion-needs-attention-but-whose-mayor-s-marital-dispute-extends-peeling.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


The exterior was repainted in June 1995 for $70,000, excluding the cost of the paint.<ref name="nyt-2001-07-12" />
Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]], likewise, never resided at Gracie Mansion, partially because regulations prevented him from moving in with his long-term partner, [[Diana Taylor (superintendent)|Diana Taylor]], but also believing that the house should be left open to the public.<ref name="nyt_27_03_12">{{cite news |last1=Dwyer |first1=Jim |title=With Empty Homes All Over the Globe, an Easy Position to Take |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/nyregion/bloombergs-stance-on-gracie-mansion-a-billionaires-view.html |access-date=September 10, 2020 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=March 27, 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift |first=Jennifer|last=Steinhauer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/nyregion/a-worn-gracie-mansion-awaits-its-face-lift.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 28, 2002 |access-date=November 15, 2011|quote=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.)}}</ref>


In 2001, mayor [[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.<ref name="nyt-2001-05-22">{{Cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=2001-05-22 |title=Judge Orders Mayor's Friend Barred From Gracie Mansion |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/22/nyregion/judge-orders-mayor-s-friend-barred-from-gracie-mansion.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The matter was complicated by the fact that his estranged wife, [[Donna Hanover]], refused to vacate the premises.<ref name="nyt_29_06_01">{{cite news |last1=Bumiller |first1=Elizabeth |date=June 29, 2001 |title=Giuliani May Leave Mansion To Escape Marital Tensions |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/29/nyregion/giuliani-may-leave-mansion-to-escape-marital-tensions.html |access-date=September 10, 2020}}</ref> By then, Giuliani privately noted that the mansion's interiors were starting to decay, while other observers such as Ed Koch said that the exterior was also rundown. One of Giuliani's aides claimed that Hanover was responsible for upkeep because she was the Gracie Mansion Conservancy's chairwoman, but Hanover's spokesperson said she was already active in maintaining the house.<ref name="nyt-2001-07-12" />
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor, family now live in historic Gracie Mansion |url=https://apnews.com/e3e770620a304577a7cc906068f17d17 |access-date=September 25, 2023 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>

==== 2000s to present ====
When [[Michael Bloomberg]] took office as the city's mayor in 2001, his longtime partner [[Diana Taylor (superintendent)|Diana Taylor]] wanted them to live there, but Bloomberg refused.<ref name="2012-03-27">{{Cite news |last=Saul |first=Michael Howard |date=2012-03-27 |title=Gracie Awaits a Family |language=en-US |work=Wall Street nyt-Journal |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303816504577306013687767208.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name="Ortiz 2012 u982">{{cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Erik |date=March 27, 2012 |title=Mayor Bloomberg: Mayors shouldn't live in Gracie Mansion |url=https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-bloomberg-mayors-shouldn-t-live-in-gracie-mansion-t22915 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=Newsday}}</ref> Bloomberg said it would be a large expense for taxpayers and that such an expense was not justified.<ref name="Ortiz 2012 u982" /><ref name="nyt-2012-03-28">{{Cite news |last=Dwyer |first=Jim |date=2012-03-28 |title=With Empty Homes All Over the Globe, an Easy Position to Take |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/nyregion/bloombergs-stance-on-gracie-mansion-a-billionaires-view.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At the beginning of Bloomberg's term, he initiated a major restoration of the mansion.<ref name="nyt-2002-04-282">{{Cite news |last=Steinhauer |first=Jennifer |date=2002-04-28 |title=A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/nyregion/a-worn-gracie-mansion-awaits-its-face-lift.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> After the restoration was complete, Bloomberg used the mansion for meetings and events and as a place for official visitors to stay.<ref name="nyt-2002-04-28">{{Cite news |last=Steinhauer |first=Jennifer |date=2002-04-28 |title=A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/nyregion/a-worn-gracie-mansion-awaits-its-face-lift.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bloomberg ultimately served as mayor for twelve years but never lived in the house during that time.<ref name="nyt-2013-11-03">{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |last2=Roberts |first2=Sam |date=2013-11-03 |title=New York Mayor’s Mansion Seeks a Missing Item (the Mayor) |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/nyregion/new-york-mayors-mansion-seeks-a-missing-item-the-mayor.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Mayor [[Bill de Blasio]] moved into Gracie Mansion in July 2012, after spending the first six months of his mayoralty in his previous Park Slope home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor, family now live in historic Gracie Mansion |url=https://apnews.com/e3e770620a304577a7cc906068f17d17 |access-date=September 25, 2023 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref> De Blasio and first lady [[Chirlane McCray]] lived on the second floor, which they furnished with about $65,000 of furniture donated by [[West Elm]].<ref name="nyt-2014-07-31">{{Cite news |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. |date=2014-07-31 |title=Décor at Gracie Mansion Now Fits de Blasio’s Style |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/nyregion/with-new-furniture-gracie-mansions-style-now-reflects-the-mayor.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The rest of the house was used for official purposes and city business.<ref name="nyt-2017-12-15">{{Cite news |last=Wolfe |first=Jonathan |date=2017-12-15 |title=New York Today: Decking the Halls at Gracie Mansion |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/nyregion/new-york-today-decking-the-halls-at-gracie-mansion.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine wrote that the house and site were worth an estimated $125 million to $200 million.<ref name="Nast 2014 d505">{{cite web |last=Makarechi |first=Kia |date=June 26, 2014 |title=De Blasio's New Home Has History of Rodents, Marriage Woes |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/politics/2014/06/de-blasio-gracie-mansion-history-rats |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=Vanity Fair}}</ref>


Mayor [[Eric Adams]] and his family lived in Gracie Mansion after Adams won the [[2021 New York City mayoral election]]. Its main floor is open to the public on a limited basis for guided tours, as of May 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Book A Tour |url=https://www.graciemansion.org/book-a-tour/ |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=Gracie Mansion Conservancy |language=en}}</ref>
Mayor [[Eric Adams]] and his family lived in Gracie Mansion after Adams won the [[2021 New York City mayoral election]]. Its main floor is open to the public on a limited basis for guided tours, as of May 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Book A Tour |url=https://www.graciemansion.org/book-a-tour/ |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=Gracie Mansion Conservancy |language=en}}</ref>
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[[File:Gracie-mansion-2007.jpg|thumb|250px|Western side]]
[[File:Gracie-mansion-2007.jpg|thumb|250px|Western side]]


[[Archibald Gracie]] built the two-story wooden [[mansion]] in the [[Federal architecture|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.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny">{{cite web|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5126|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Gracie Mansion|date=1974|access-date=March 25, 2011|first=Max|last=Kahn|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154557/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5126|archive-date=October 19, 2012}} ''See also:'' {{cite web|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5128|title=Accompanying photo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154609/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5128|archive-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>
[[Archibald Gracie]] built the two-story wooden [[mansion]] in the [[Federal architecture|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.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny">{{cite web|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5126|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Gracie Mansion|date=1974|access-date=March 25, 2011|first=Max|last=Kahn|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154557/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5126|archive-date=October 19, 2012}} ''See also:'' {{cite web|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5128|title=Accompanying photo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154609/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=5128|archive-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref> There is a separate two-story wing next to the mansion, designed by [[Mott B. Schmidt]]; the wing is designed in a neo-Georgian style and has its own entrance.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-12" /> The new wing was later known as the Susan B. Wagner Wing.<ref name="Nast 2003 s828">{{cite web |last=Aronson |first=Steven M. L. |date=November 1, 2003 |title=See How Michael Bloomberg Restored Gracie Mansion |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/gracie-article-112003 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=Architectural Digest}}</ref>

=== Facade ===
The mansion was originally decorated with cream-colored clapboard panels and white trim, and there were green shutters flanking each window.<ref name="Leapman p. 212">{{harvnb|Leapman|1999|ps=.|p=212}}</ref>

The wing has its own entrance from the mansion's driveway and has a clapboard facade.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-12" /> The entrance has a [[portico]] with hand-carved columns, which was based on a similar portico designed for the Tichnor family in [[Boston]].<ref name="nyt-1966-09-07" />


=== Interior ===
=== Interior ===
After the 1936 renovation, the ground floor contained a porch, hall, living room, dining room, sitting room, and curator's room, while the second floor included a child's bedroom, three master bedrooms, and a caretaker's apartment.<ref name="nyt-1936-03-15" />


==== Main house ====
⚫
There was once a tunnel under the site of Gracie Mansion,<ref name="Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks e479" /><ref name="York 2022 q307">{{cite web |date=July 28, 2022 |title=Top 10 Secrets of Gracie Mansion, the Home of NYC's Mayor |url=https://untappedcities.com/2022/07/28/secrets-of-gracie-mansion/?displayall=true |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=Untapped New York}}</ref> which was rediscovered in 1913. The brick tunnel ran north from the mansion's basement and then turned east toward the river. It is not known why the tunnel was built, but one newspaper from 1913 said the tunnel could have been used as an escape route during the American Revolution or used as a secret lover's entrance.<ref name="p574169560">{{Cite news |last=Erhard |first=Ursinus |date=23 Feb 1913 |title=Mysterious Tunnel Found in New York: Subterransan Passage Leads From Old Gracie Mansion to the East River--Gotham Gossip |page=53 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |id={{Pq|574169560}}}}</ref>
Following the 1980s renovation, the mansion was redecorated with 19th-century chandeliers, mirrors, and other artifacts.<ref name="Leapman p. 214" />

The main mansion includes a dining room for 22 people, which includes a French Empire sideboard made in the U.S. and wallpaper from France that depicts rustic and classical scenes.<ref name="Leapman p. 214" />

==== Annex ====
Inside the main level of the Wagner wing is a ballroom (originally known as the Susan Edwards Wagner Ballroom), the design of which is based on that of the [[Lyman Estate]] in [[Waltham, Massachusetts]]. Gracie Mansion's ballroom measures {{convert|50|by|24|ft}} across and has a [[coved ceiling]] measuring {{convert|18|ft}} high. The walls of the ballroom were originally decorated with [[French windows]] and gray-blue walls, topped by a [[frieze]] with garlands and fruit bowls. A portrait of Susan Wagner, painted by [[Willy Pogany]], was also displayed in the ballroom. Flanking the ballroom are two smaller rooms, a dining room and a reception room, and there is also a serving pantry on the ballroom level.<ref name="nyt-1966-09-07" />

The Wagner wing has a Federal-style mirror and salvaged fireplace mantels.<ref name="Leapman p. 214" /> The basement was constructed with a conference room, an office for the mayor, and another office for the mayor's secretary.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-12" /> Press offices also occupied the basement.<ref name="nyt-1966-09-07" />

== Usage ==
The house may be used only 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.

=== Maintenance ===
The mansion's upkeep is partially overseen by the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, a [[public–private partnership]] formed in 1981 under Ed Koch's mayoralty.<ref name="Black p. viii" />


== Impact ==
== Impact ==
One writer from 1913 said that "there are evidences of its old-time grandeur, when it entertained some of the brightest men of the day in this country".<ref name="p574169560" />
One writer from 1913 said that "there are evidences of its old-time grandeur, when it entertained some of the brightest men of the day in this country".<ref name="p574169560" /> When the Board of Estimate voted in 1942 to convert the house into the mayoral residence, a writer for ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' described the site "a most fitting frame for the office of the city's Chief Estimate" and contrasted its preservation with the planned demolition of [[Castle Clinton]], which had been approved shortly beforehand.<ref name="p513766618" />


=== In popular culture ===
=== In popular culture ===
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* {{cite book | last=Black | first=Mary | title=New York City's Gracie Mansion: A History of the Mayor's House | publisher=Gracie Mansion Conservancy | year=1984 | isbn=978-0-9613729-0-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fydOAQAAIAAJ }}
* {{cite book | last=Black | first=Mary | title=New York City's Gracie Mansion: A History of the Mayor's House | publisher=Gracie Mansion Conservancy | year=1984 | isbn=978-0-9613729-0-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fydOAQAAIAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Henry Collins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twYcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA140 |title=Valentine's Manual of Old New York |publisher=Valentine's manual, Incorporated |year=1924}}
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Henry Collins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twYcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA140 |title=Valentine's Manual of Old New York |publisher=Valentine's manual, Incorporated |year=1924}}
* {{cite book |last=Leapman |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZGeKHubAfUC&pg=PA214 |title=The Companion Guide to New York |publisher=Companion Guides |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-900639-32-3 |series=Companion Guides}}
* {{cite book | last=Stern | first=Ellen | title=Gracie Mansion: A Celebration of New York City’s Mayoral Residence | publisher=Rizzoli | year=2021 | isbn=978-0-8478-6956-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DlVOEAAAQBAJ }}
* {{cite book | last=Stern | first=Ellen | title=Gracie Mansion: A Celebration of New York City’s Mayoral Residence | publisher=Rizzoli | year=2021 | isbn=978-0-8478-6956-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DlVOEAAAQBAJ }}


Revision as of 21:45, 24 December 2023

  • ("gracie mansion" or "gracie manor" or "gracie house" or (("archibald gracie") and ("manor" or "mansion" or "house"))) AND ("manhattan" OR "New York") NOT ("Spare Times" OR "Display Ad" OR "Classified Ad" OR "Advertisement" OR "Arrival of Buyers" OR "Paid Notice" OR "Other" "No title" OR "What's in bloom")

Archibald Gracie Mansion
East front
Lua error: Coordinates must be specified on Wikidata or in |coord=.
LocationEast End Ave. at 88th St., Manhattan, New York City, New York
Coordinates40°46′34″N 73°56′36″W / 40.77611°N 73.94333°W / 40.77611; -73.94333
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

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.

Site

Gracie Mansion is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street, in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The mansion faces northeast toward the Hell Gate, a channel in the East River.[3]

Previous site usage

The Europeans settled what is now New York City in the 17th century. From that point until the end of the 19th century, only six men have owned the site.[4] The first European owner of Gracie Mansion's site was Sybout Claessan, who received 106 acres (43 ha) from the Dutch West India Company in 1746.[3][5] Claessan's land, which includes Carl Schurz Park,[5] was initially known as Hoorn's Hook or Horn's Hook, after the city of Hoorn in North Holland.[3][6]

Jacob Walton, a merchant from what is now Flatbush in Brooklyn, built a house on the site of Gracie Mansion in 1770. He moved into the house with his wife Polly Cruger.[3] The house was known as Belview Mansion. Drawings indicate that the earlier mansion was composed of a two-story central section and one-story wings on either side. Ornamentation on that house included quoins at its corners; keystones above the windows; a weather vane and finials at the roof; and a triple bay of windows at the end of each wing.[7] During the American Revolutionary War, the Waltons, who were Loyalists,[3] were forced to leave the house in 1776 to make way for Patriot troops.[8] Patriot commander George Washington took over Belview Mansion, and the British destroyed it during the war.[3][6] For more than two centuries, there was little documentation on Belview Mansion's existence.[7]

Belview Mansion included a hidden tunnel to the East River,[3] which still existed when Gracie Mansion was developed on the same site.[9][10] The brick tunnel ran north from the mansion's basement and then turned east toward the river. It is not known why the tunnel was built, but one newspaper from 1913 said the tunnel could have been used as an escape route during the American Revolution or used as a secret lover's entrance.[10]

History

Early use

In 1799, Archibald Gracie bought Walton's land and built a new house on the same site.[11] Gracie's mansion was abutted to the west by the house of banker Nathaniel Prime, which later became St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum.[12] The houses of Alexander Hamilton, John Jacob Astor, and Isaac Chauncey were also located in the area but have long since been demolished.[13] 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.

During his time at the mansion, Gracie hosted guests such as Hamilton, Astor, future French king Louis Philippe I, U.S. president John Quincy Adams, and writers James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving.[6][14] Irving may have written part of his novel Astoria while at the house. Gracie expanded the house in 1811.[6][14] Although Gracie's firm lost more than $1 million during the War of 1812, he had finished expanding the mansion in 1815, nearly doubling its previous size.[15] He used the house as his country home until 1823.[16][14]

Gracie's company, Archibald Gracie & Son, was dissolved in early 1823.[17] Two weeks after the dissolution of Gracie's firm, the house was sold to Joseph Foulke,[17] a merchant who had gained his wealth from trading largely in Central America and the Caribbean.[18] Foulke paid $20,500 for the house and about 11 acres (4.5 ha) of land, which became known as Foulke's Point.[19]

Parks Department takeover

The New York City government took over the land northeast of 86th Street and East End Avenue in 1891, converting it into what would later become Carl Schurz Park.[6]

In 1911, the mansion was outfitted with steam heat; at the time, the house was being used as a clubhouse for girls' clubs.[20]

  • It served various functions as part of the park. At various times it housed public restrooms, an ice cream stand, and classrooms, until 1924.

Use as museum and historical house

By 1923, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) and the Patriotic New Yorkers both wanted to take over the house. Although NYC Parks had not awarded control of the house to either organization, The New York Times wrote that MCNY officials were already marking their letters as having come from Gracie Mansion.[21] Ultimately, the MCNY received control of the mansion and furnished it with objects that were gifted or loaned by other institutions.[22]

NYC Parks restored the house in 1927.[6] In 1929, the city authorized $12,000 in bonds for repairs to Gracie Mansion and for a new fence and asphalt in Carl Schurz Park.[23]

The mansion was renovated into a historic house museum in 1936 as part of a Works Progress Administration project that also reconstructed Carl Schurz Park. The house had to be thoroughly renovated with new window sills, roof, clapboard, porch, and heating and lighting systems. Although none of the original furniture remained, several organizations agreed to lend 18th- and 19th-century furniture to the house, and the Colonial Dames of America redecorated another room. The MCNY gave some musical instruments; the Metropolitan Museum of Art provided 10 paintings and 19 pieces of furniture, and lawyer Francis Patrick Garvan lent 61 pieces of furnishings.[15] After the 1936 renovation, the ground floor contained a porch, hall, living room, dining room, sitting room, and curator's room, while the second floor included a child's bedroom, three master bedrooms, and a caretaker's apartment.[15]

Mayor's residence

In January 1942, the New York City Board of Estimate voted unanimously to designate Gracie Mansion as the official residence of mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. This followed ten years of efforts to make Gracie Mansion the mayor's residence. Several museums agreed to furnish parts of the house.[24] The mansion was intended to be used for both the mayor's personal events and for official business.[25] This made New York City one of the relative few American cities to have an official mayoral residence.[25][26]

Landmark plaque

1940s to 1970s

La Guardia preferred to call the residence "Gracie Farm",[27][28] To give the mayor's family more privacy, the lawn to the south and east of the mansion was expanded by 25 feet (7.6 m) in 1946.[29]

The Committee to Preserve Gracie Mansion as New York's White House (later the Committee for Gracie Mansion) was formed in 1963 to raise money for a future annex to the house. Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.'s wife, Susan, recalled that she was sometimes forced to change in a closet because official city meetings sometimes encroached into the mansion's living space.[30] The architect Mott B. Schmidt prepared plans for a new west wing. Details of the wing were announced in January 1965; the double-height wing was to cost $700,000 and be privately financed, as Wagner did not believe that taxpayers should be responsible for the expansion. The wing was to be used for meetings and receptions.[30] The annex ultimately cost $800,000[31] and was dedicated on September 27, 1966.

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

1980s and 1990s

Under mayor Ed Koch, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy restored portions of the building during 1981–1984.[32] In the late 20th century, city officials found that several "wasteful projects" had been carried out at the mansion under multiple mayors, including a $17,000 desk and a $11,000 headboard.[33]

The exterior was repainted in June 1995 for $70,000, excluding the cost of the paint.[33]

In 2001, mayor 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.[34] The matter was complicated by the fact that his estranged wife, Donna Hanover, refused to vacate the premises.[35] By then, Giuliani privately noted that the mansion's interiors were starting to decay, while other observers such as Ed Koch said that the exterior was also rundown. One of Giuliani's aides claimed that Hanover was responsible for upkeep because she was the Gracie Mansion Conservancy's chairwoman, but Hanover's spokesperson said she was already active in maintaining the house.[33]

2000s to present

When Michael Bloomberg took office as the city's mayor in 2001, his longtime partner Diana Taylor wanted them to live there, but Bloomberg refused.[36][37] Bloomberg said it would be a large expense for taxpayers and that such an expense was not justified.[37][38] At the beginning of Bloomberg's term, he initiated a major restoration of the mansion.[39][32] After the restoration was complete, Bloomberg used the mansion for meetings and events and as a place for official visitors to stay.[40] Bloomberg ultimately served as mayor for twelve years but never lived in the house during that time.[41]

Mayor Bill de Blasio moved into Gracie Mansion in July 2012, after spending the first six months of his mayoralty in his previous Park Slope home.[42] De Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray lived on the second floor, which they furnished with about $65,000 of furniture donated by West Elm.[43] The rest of the house was used for official purposes and city business.[44] Vanity Fair magazine wrote that the house and site were worth an estimated $125 million to $200 million.[45]

Mayor Eric Adams and his family lived in Gracie Mansion after Adams won the 2021 New York City mayoral election. Its main floor is open to the public on a limited basis for guided tours, as of May 2023.[46]

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.[47] There is a separate two-story wing next to the mansion, designed by Mott B. Schmidt; the wing is designed in a neo-Georgian style and has its own entrance.[30] The new wing was later known as the Susan B. Wagner Wing.[48]

Facade

The mansion was originally decorated with cream-colored clapboard panels and white trim, and there were green shutters flanking each window.[49]

The wing has its own entrance from the mansion's driveway and has a clapboard facade.[30] The entrance has a portico with hand-carved columns, which was based on a similar portico designed for the Tichnor family in Boston.[31]

Interior

Main house

Following the 1980s renovation, the mansion was redecorated with 19th-century chandeliers, mirrors, and other artifacts.[26]

The main mansion includes a dining room for 22 people, which includes a French Empire sideboard made in the U.S. and wallpaper from France that depicts rustic and classical scenes.[26]

Annex

Inside the main level of the Wagner wing is a ballroom (originally known as the Susan Edwards Wagner Ballroom), the design of which is based on that of the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts. Gracie Mansion's ballroom measures 50 by 24 feet (15.2 by 7.3 m) across and has a coved ceiling measuring 18 feet (5.5 m) high. The walls of the ballroom were originally decorated with French windows and gray-blue walls, topped by a frieze with garlands and fruit bowls. A portrait of Susan Wagner, painted by Willy Pogany, was also displayed in the ballroom. Flanking the ballroom are two smaller rooms, a dining room and a reception room, and there is also a serving pantry on the ballroom level.[31]

The Wagner wing has a Federal-style mirror and salvaged fireplace mantels.[26] The basement was constructed with a conference room, an office for the mayor, and another office for the mayor's secretary.[30] Press offices also occupied the basement.[31]

Usage

The house may be used only 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.

Maintenance

The mansion's upkeep is partially overseen by the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, a public–private partnership formed in 1981 under Ed Koch's mayoralty.[25]

Impact

One writer from 1913 said that "there are evidences of its old-time grandeur, when it entertained some of the brightest men of the day in this country".[10] When the Board of Estimate voted in 1942 to convert the house into the mayoral residence, a writer for The Christian Science Monitor described the site "a most fitting frame for the office of the city's Chief Estimate" and contrasted its preservation with the planned demolition of Castle Clinton, which had been approved shortly beforehand.[13]

See also

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c d e f g "Carl Schurz Park Highlights". Gracie Mansion : NYC Parks. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Black 1984, p. 6.
  5. ^ a b Stokes, I.N.P.; Paltsits, V.H.; Wieder, F.C. (1922). The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909: The period of discovery (565-1626); the Dutch period (1626-1664). The English period (1664-1763). The Revolutionary period, part I (1763-1776). The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. Robert H. Dodd. p. 106.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Federal Writers' Project (1939). New York City Guide. New York: Random House. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-60354-055-1. (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.)
  7. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (October 23, 2007). "In Drawing, Guide to Past of Gracie Mansion Site". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Sabine, Lorenzo (2009). Biographical Sketches V3. Papers of George Washington: R. Applewood Books. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-4290-1953-8.
  9. ^ a b "Top 10 Secrets of Gracie Mansion, the Home of NYC's Mayor". Untapped New York. July 28, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Erhard, Ursinus (February 23, 1913). "Mysterious Tunnel Found in New York: Subterransan Passage Leads From Old Gracie Mansion to the East River--Gotham Gossip". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 53. ProQuest 574169560.
  11. ^ Brown 1924, p. 138.
  12. ^ Brown 1924, pp. 138–140.
  13. ^ a b Ince, Ethel C. (January 10, 1942). "To Change the Subject: Why Not Cherish New York Landmarks?". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 11. ISSN 0882-7729. ProQuest 513766618.
  14. ^ a b c Wilkerson, Lyn (2010). Historical Cities-New York City. Caddo Publications USA. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4524-1373-0. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c "Old Gracie Home Nearly Restored; Mansion of Former Merchant Prince Likely to Be Opened to Public by May 1". The New York Times. March 15, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Nichols, M. (2018). Hell Gate: A Nexus of New York City's East River. Excelsior Editions. State University of New York Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4384-7140-2.
  17. ^ a b Black 1984, p. 48.
  18. ^ Blume, Kenneth J. (2012). Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Maritime Industry. G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Scarecrow Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-8108-5634-9.
  19. ^ Brown 1924, p. 140.
  20. ^ "Steam Heat in Gracie Mansion". New-York Tribune. November 22, 1911. p. 5. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 574835826.
  21. ^ "Gracie Mansion in Dispute; Two Societies Seek Use of Historic House in Carl Schurz Park". The New York Times. June 12, 1923. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "New Museum of City's Life To Be Introduced". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. April 15, 1924. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1112945351.
  23. ^ "Improving Schurz Park; Gracie Mansion Repairs Will Benefit Apartment Centre". The New York Times. September 15, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "Official Residence Set Up for Mayor; Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park Designated Unanimously by the Board of Estimate". The New York Times. January 9, 1942. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  25. ^ a b c Black 1984, p. viii.
  26. ^ a b c d Leapman 1999, p. 214.
  27. ^ Shientag, Florence Perlow (October 27, 1979). "Fiorello's Gracie Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  28. ^ Hampson, Rick. "Mayoral mansions have mixed track record". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  29. ^ "Gracie Mansion Lawn Extended In Schurz Park: Latter Is Losing 25 Feet to Give More Privacy to Mayor's Official Home". New York Herald Tribune. July 2, 1946. p. 24. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1284578845.
  30. ^ a b c d e Ennis, Thomas W. (January 12, 1965). "Gracie Mansion Getting 18th-Century-Style Wing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  31. ^ a b c d Ennis, Thomas W. (September 7, 1966). "Mayor's Home Gets an 18th-Century Reception Wing; Wing of Gracie Mansion to Bow With a Formal Grand Ballroom". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  32. ^ a b "A Brief History of Gracie Mansion". The Official Website of the City of New York. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  33. ^ a b c Bumiller, Elisabeth (July 12, 2001). "Gracie Mansion Needs Attention, But Whose?; Mayor's Marital Dispute Extends to Peeling Paint". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  34. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (May 22, 2001). "Judge Orders Mayor's Friend Barred From Gracie Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  35. ^ Bumiller, Elizabeth (June 29, 2001). "Giuliani May Leave Mansion To Escape Marital Tensions". New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  36. ^ Saul, Michael Howard (March 27, 2012). "Gracie Awaits a Family". Wall Street nyt-Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  37. ^ a b Ortiz, Erik (March 27, 2012). "Mayor Bloomberg: Mayors shouldn't live in Gracie Mansion". Newsday. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  38. ^ Dwyer, Jim (March 28, 2012). "With Empty Homes All Over the Globe, an Easy Position to Take". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  39. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (April 28, 2002). "A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  40. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (April 28, 2002). "A Worn Gracie Mansion Awaits Its Face-Lift". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  41. ^ Barron, James; Roberts, Sam (November 3, 2013). "New York Mayor's Mansion Seeks a Missing Item (the Mayor)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  42. ^ "Mayor, family now live in historic Gracie Mansion". Associated Press. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  43. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (July 31, 2014). "Décor at Gracie Mansion Now Fits de Blasio's Style". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  44. ^ Wolfe, Jonathan (December 15, 2017). "New York Today: Decking the Halls at Gracie Mansion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  45. ^ Makarechi, Kia (June 26, 2014). "De Blasio's New Home Has History of Rodents, Marriage Woes". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  46. ^ "Book A Tour". Gracie Mansion Conservancy. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  47. ^ 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.
  48. ^ Aronson, Steven M. L. (November 1, 2003). "See How Michael Bloomberg Restored Gracie Mansion". Architectural Digest. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  49. ^ Leapman 1999, p. 212.
  50. ^ Fairstein, Linda (2010). Hell Gate. Dutton Books. ASIN B004UQ9E02.
  51. ^ "FAQs". The Yule Log.
  52. ^ 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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