Search Results for: where is gracie mansion in new york city

December 11, 2025

10 ‘secrets’ of Gracie Mansion

Gracie Mansion, the gracious Federal-style mansion that overlooks the East River from Yorkville’s Carl Schurz Park, has been New York’s Mayoral residence since 1942. But the house had a long history before it started hosting municipal magistrates. Since construction began in 1799, Gracie Mansion has served as a residence, a museum, and even an ice cream stand. As the city prepares to welcome a new mayor to the mansion, here are 10 secrets of the People’s House.
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February 13, 2024

17 spots to go sledding in New York City

Sledding has long been a New York City pastime during the long winter months, thanks to the many hills and slopes found in parks across the five boroughs. With the first real snowstorm in two years upon us, it's the perfect chance to escape your apartment and get some fresh air and winter fun. Ahead, find the best places to go sledding in every borough, from scenic Sunset Park in Brooklyn to the natural rolling hills of Manhattan's Inwood Hill Park.
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October 20, 2023

Mayor Adams to host haunted Halloween party at Gracie Mansion

The grounds of Gracie Mansion are getting a haunted makeover this Halloween. Mayor Eric Adams will open the People's House to young New Yorkers for trick-or-treating, a corn maze, and a spooky graveyard. Adams, who previously said he thinks ghosts reside at the Yorkville mansion, has set aside tickets to the two-day event for about 300 families in the city's shelter system and those seeking asylum.
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February 25, 2020

Gracie Mansion’s largest art exhibition explores social justice and inclusion

A new art exhibition is open at Gracie Mansion, the fourth and final installation of Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray's tenure. Catalyst: Art and Social Justice, which will also be the largest ever hosted at the historic home in Yorkville, features more than 75 works created by over 50 artists since the 1960s. With a focus on inclusion, the exhibit explores the connection between art, justice, and the social change movements behind it all.
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April 15, 2019

10 sites in New York City connected to the Titanic

When you hear “Titanic” you may think of icebergs, tragedy, Jack, Rose, and a two-hour fight between life and death in the North Atlantic some 375 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. You may not necessarily think of New York City. But the ship, which left Southampton, England on April 10, 1912, was bound for New York and due at Pier 59 on April 17th. After sinking during the early hours of April 15th, the Titanic would never dock in New York, but survivors of the tragedy sailed into the city aboard the Carpathia on April 20th and disembarked at Pier 54. Ultimately, New York’s connection to that fateful voyage goes well beyond its waterfront. In fact, you’ll find sites associated with the Titanic and its passengers throughout the city.
10 NYC sites associated with the Titanic
April 10, 2019

INTERVIEW: Gothamist’s Jake Dobkin on answering New Yorker’s burning questions in his latest book

Jake Dobkin was born in Park Slope 42 years ago, and over those years he's never left New York City for longer than 10 weeks. In 2003, he co-founded the website Gothamist with Jen Chung, which emerged as a popular culture and entertainment blog about all things New York. In the summer of 2013, Dobkin decided to channel his native knowledge and newsroom snark with the column Ask a Native New Yorker. The first installment addressed a question to make any New Yorker shudder, "Is It Normal For Roaches To Crawl Through My Hair At Night?" Since then, he's tackled everything from amusing annoyances of city life to more serious issues like homelessness, gentrification, and who deserves a seat on the subway. Dobkin ultimately adapted "Ask A Native New Yorker" into a book, which was just released a few weeks ago. Titled Ask A Native New Yorker: Hard-Earned Advice on Surviving and Thriving in the Big City, it contains answers to 48 new questions on New Yorker's minds including if public transit will be messed up forever and why we complain so much. 6sqft spoke with Dobkin on why he started writing the column, how it's changed over the years, and what's ahead with a new book and Gothamist under the new ownership of WNYC. He also shares the best place to find a peaceful spot in the middle of the city.
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January 24, 2019

Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit is all about females; Park in a bus lane and get towed

As any good New Yorker knows, roaches don’t die. So to show your sweetie how much you love them this Valentine’s Day, name one of the Bronx Zoo’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches after them. [Bronx Zoo] The Essex Street Market is seeking artists to design a mural for their forthcoming Essex Crossing headquarters. [Bowery Boogie] Gracie Mansion’s […]

December 18, 2018

A behind-the-scenes look at Gracie Mansion’s colorfully festive holiday decorations

Gracie Mansion, the residence of Mayor Bill de Blasio, is officially in full holiday spirit. The historic home, which dates back to 1799, is showing off decorations that promote some of the mayor's top initiatives, plus the overall theme of togetherness. It's all the work of New York City's First Lady Chirlane McCray and renowned event planner Bryan Rafanelli, who have been refining the vision since this summer. This is Rafanelli's second year working with McCray to decorate the people's home of New York. For 2018, they selected jewel-toned colors, lots of ribbon, and even worked in some participation from New Yorkers. Keep reading to figure out how the pair made it happen, an effort that includes bringing a 17-foot-tall tree through a narrow French door into the mansion's ballroom. The images are sure to put you in a New York holiday spirit.
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November 7, 2018

From breweries and baseball to ‘cigar tenements’ and German Broadway: 10 secrets of Yorkville

Yorkville has been a popular outpost for the young professional crowd for quite some time now, but thanks to the Second Avenue Subway opening two years ago, the neighborhood has been getting on everyone's radar. But long before the cool subway mosaics, new building developments, and constantly-popping-up restaurants and bars, Yorkville had a diverse history that spanned more than 300 years. In celebration of this history, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts is releasing today a new neighborhood history book, “Shaped by Immigrants: A History of Yorkville.” And after getting a sneak peek, we couldn't resist sharing some juicy neighborhood history gems. From having its own "piano ferry" and the largest brewery in the country to revolutionizing apartment living, this Upper East Side enclave is bursting with exciting secrets!
10 things you probably didn't know about Yorkville
September 6, 2017

100 free things to do in New York City

Despite being one of the most expensive cities to live in, New York City offers many free activities, events, and attractions all year round, letting you pinch pennies when the rent check is due. From free lectures at the Met to free group meditation classes, there are tons of activities that don't cost a dime. To help New York visitors and natives alike, we've put together a guide of the 100 best wallet-friendly things to do in the Big Apple.
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July 13, 2017

Dry ice and solar power to be used in city’s $32M rat battle

Mayor Bill de Blasio declared Wednesday that he wanted "more rat corpses" in a $32 million crusade to rid the city's most plagued neighborhoods of the scurrying scourge. The New York Times reports that parts of lower Manhattan, the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx are the focus of the latest campaign that hopes to reduce the number of rats in those areas by 70 percent by the close of 2018. Among the battle's newly-forged weapons are 336 $7,000 solar-powered rat-proof garbage bins and an EPA-approved–and apparently very effective–method of killing rats in their holes using dry ice.
Psst...hey...pizza over here
April 21, 2017

This cozy duplex within a Yorkville brownstone is asking a reasonable $695K

Yorkville has long been considered one of Manhattan’s more affordable uptown neighborhoods--although that's been changing in recent years--but here's a neighborhood pad that's not priced too high. For $695,000 you'll get a one-bedroom duplex within the historic brownstone at 421 East 84th Street. The upper floor boasts two large windows and a wood burning fireplace, while the lower level has enough space to fit a king-sized bed and other furniture. Plus, it's located just a few blocks away from the new Second Avenue subway station at 86th Street.
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March 2, 2017

Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit tells the story of NYC during World War II

In honor of the residence's 75th anniversary, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy has announced a new art installation titled "New York 1942," a collection of World War II-era objects that tell the story of New York City during this time, as well as of the period when Gracie Mansion became the official mayoral residence under Fiorello La Guardia. The exhibit will display more than 50 artifacts, documents, and pieces of art, including a signed World Series Yankees baseball, the Jacob Lawrence painting "The Migrants Arrived in Great Numbers," a photo from Weegee, ration tokens, and a first-edition print of "The Little Prince."
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December 30, 2015

Victorian Home With Luxury Renovations Asks $7.5 Million in Yorkville

There's an interesting background behind this Victorian townhouse located at 142 East End Avenue within the Henderson Place Historic District in Yorkville. It was developed with other townhouses in the late 19th century by developer John C. Henderson for "persons of moderate means." These days, you'll need a lot more than moderate means to afford one–last year, a neighboring townhouse that had undergone a two-year gut renovation was on the market for $7.5 million or $25,900 a month. This one is also priced at $7.5 million, though it's been on and off the market since late 2012 asking anywhere from $6.5 to $8.5 million (h/t Curbed). The townhouse (once owned by a testifying forensic pathologist in the O.J. Simpson trial) was also gut renovated, with the interior all luxury while the exterior retains its original masonry detailing and modest brick façade, designed by architecture firm Lamb & Rich. Interior details include Italian tile flooring, Brazilian teak hardwood, four private outdoor spaces and a grand stainless steel staircase with walnut finishes.
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December 24, 2015

Did You Know the First TV Yule Log Was Aired in 1966 From Gracie Mansion?

If you grew up in a house without a fireplace, there's a good chance the Yule Log played on the television during Christmas. This somewhat strange annual broadcast was, in fact, created for homeowners longing for the glow of a hearth, but also as a way to give station employees some time off. So in 1966, WPIX Channel 11 set up a camera at Gracie Mansion, then occupied by Mayor Lindsay, and filmed one of the home's flickering fireplaces for 17 seconds using 16 millimeter film. It was spliced together into a three-hour loop with holiday carols playing in the background, and there the Yule Log was born on Christmas Eve at 9:30pm. This same footage ran for four years, but but when WPIX wanted to do a new shoot at the Mayor's residence, it was an Oriental rug that halted the plans.
Find out what happened and how the yule log is once again a Christmas tradition
October 14, 2015

Gracie Mansion Reopening for Public Tours Next Month With a New Art Collection

Gracie Mansion will reopen for public tours starting next month, and visitors will be welcomed with a new, diverse art collection. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife wanted the art and objects inside the 1799 home where her family now lives—one of the oldest surviving wooden structures in New York City—to be a broader and more accurate reflection of the city as it looked in the late 1700s and early 1800s." She therefore brought in 49 new works that include "portraits of freed slaves, historic documents, imported goods and items traded to American Indians." The new installation is called "Windows on the City Looking Out at Gracie’s New York" and will be unveiled at an open house on October 25th.
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January 5, 2026

McGuinness Boulevard to be redesigned with two protected bike lanes, after all

Greenpoint’s notoriously dangerous McGuinness Boulevard will receive its originally planned safety upgrades, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Saturday. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) will move forward with its plan to install protected bike lanes along the entirety of McGuinness Boulevard, extending existing protected lanes between Meeker and Calyer Streets up to the Pulaski Bridge. The move fulfills a campaign pledge Mamdani made in August to complete the original project and follows a corruption scandal under former Mayor Eric Adams, in which the redesign was scaled back amid allegations that a neighborhood film production company bribed a senior administration official, as Gothamist reported.
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September 13, 2023

$16.75M Brooklyn Heights townhouse has historic layout and modern extras, like a basement movie theater

The graceful brick townhouse at the aptly-named 25 Grace Court is a landmarked beauty in one of New York City's loveliest historic districts. Asking $16,750,000, the five-story urban mansion is a 5,975-square-foot single-family home, perfectly renovated from top to bottom, but with rarely-seen care taken to preserve its original grandeur. The home has received architectural preservation awards from the NY Landmarks Conservancy and the Brooklyn Heights Association–and we can see why.
Tour this historic home
April 13, 2022

After Sunset Park shooting, Adams ‘doubles’ number of police officers on subway

Mayor Eric Adams said he will double the number of police officers patrolling the transit system after a mass shooting at a subway station in Sunset Park left over two dozen people injured. Police on Wednesday identified 62-year-old Frank James as the suspect; they believe James detonated a smoke device and began shooting on an N train during rush hour Tuesday morning. The additional deployment comes after Adams deployed 1,000 additional officers earlier this year because of a recent uptick in crime on the subway.
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May 13, 2021

All the free stuff and discounts you can get in NYC if you’re vaccinated

Shake Shack fries, Krispy Kreme donuts, 7-day MetroCards, Yankees tickets--these are just some of the perks available to New Yorkers who receive their Covid-19 vaccination. Some of the deals are dependant on one's vaccine location, while others are nationwide. Ahead, we've started a running list of all the offerings.
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June 23, 2020

NYC creates a task force to crack down on illegal fireworks

"It is not just a quality of life problem and a noise problem," said Mayor de Blasio in his press conference this morning, discussing the issue of illegal fireworks, "but it can also be dangerous." For these reasons and after a protest outside Gracie Mansion last night, he announced that the city has created an illegal fireworks task force, which will consist of members of the Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the FDNY, and the NYPD, all of whom will "go to the root cause" of the problem, which is those who are selling and profiting from the fireworks. As the New York Times reported over the weekend, the city is currently receiving 80 times as many firework complaints than usual.
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May 4, 2020

Rule-breaking crowds could force Green-Wood Cemetery to close to public

Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery threatened to close its gates last week after some visitors ignored the 478-acre-site's rules and regulations. In an email to supporters, the cemetery's president Richard Moylan said people have biked, climbed trees, and even taken flowers that were placed on graves, all actions prohibited by the organization. "The conduct of a small percentage of our visitors has created an unacceptable situation," Moylan wrote. "If things don’t change we may be left with no choice but to close our gates as many other cemeteries have done."
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June 5, 2019

My 450sqft: Stamp artist and Rivington School rebel Ed Higgins shows us his LES apartment of 40 years

In 1976, with a recently earned art degree, E.F. Higgins III moved from Colorado to the Lower East Side. A small advertisement in the Village Voice led him to a rent-stabilized place on Ludlow Street for just $100 per month. Forty-three years later, Ed has never lived anywhere else. As expected, his rent has risen over the last four decades. He now pays “$500 and change” for his one-bedroom. Upon arriving in Manhattan, the Midwestern-born artist became part of an art scene that was antithetical to what was happening anywhere else. Ed was a founding member of the Rivington School, a group of anti-commercial artists who took the city’s open land as their own, creating make-shift gallery spaces and performance centers in basements and on vacant lots. A painter and printmaker by trade, Ed is a part of the mail art movement, which involves sending art through the mail via postcards, decorated objects, and original stamps. 6sqft recently toured Ed’s apartment, which is full of his own Doo Da Post stamps, mail art that was sent to him, paintings, hand-written notes, and so many tchotchkes it’s hard to discern one room from the next.
See inside and meet Ed