UNION SQUARE — Gracie Mansion has been unoccupied during the 12 years under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. And according to the man who’s going to replace him, it may stay that way.
Bill De Blasio, during a press conference announcing his transition team leadership, said he was “still reticent” about declaring whether he and his family would move in because that same family has yet to make a decision.
“As you may have noticed, there are four strong personalities in the family, one of whom, Mr. Dante de Blasio, has strong feelings about proximity to his high school,” the mayor-elect said. Dante, 16, attends Brooklyn Technical High School.
Over the course of the campaign, de Blasio has been unwilling to say whether the family would be interested in moving into the house, located along the East River on the Upper East Side, other thank acknowledging that the 214-year-old mansion “obviously has a little more space” than the family’s current Park Slope brownstone.
“We wanted to get through last night, not be presumptuous, but now there’s a very serious family discussion that has to be had about what makes sense going forward,” de Blasio said.
The last mayoral family to live in Gracie Mansion was that of Rudy Giuliani, who moved out in 2001. The grounds have been open to the public under the current mayor, who uses the location primarily for functions and meetings.
