De Blasio says family will live in Gracie Mansion

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has announced that he and his family will live in Gracie Mansion.

In the weeks since his election, de Blasio had been mulling over the decision about whether to move with his wife and two teenage children from their home in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

In a statement released Wednesday, de Blasio said, 'For a variety of reasons, like logistical and security concerns, we've decided to move to Gracie Mansion. It's a practical choice but one that we make with respect and gratitude for the people of New York City. We'll miss Brooklyn, but we are incredibly gratified to the people of New York for the opportunity to live in the Mayor's residence. For generations of New Yorkers, Gracie Mansion has been the home of the city's Mayors and their families. It is a place where we celebrate the city and its people, a place where history doesn't just reside, but is experienced by our fellow citizens. We are humbled to join that great tradition.'

The mansion is the official mayor's residence but has not been home to a mayor since Rudolph Giuliani left office in 2001.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg remained in his Upper East Side town house, though he oversaw extensive renovations to the mansion.

De Blasio said the move would be phased in over the next few months. In recent weeks, he and his wife Chirlane wavered over the decision, citing the pull of home and concerns over their 16-year-old son Dante's commute from the Upper East Side to his Brooklyn high school. Their daughter attends college on the West Coast.

CLICK TO SEE PHOTOS OF GRACIE MANSION

De Blasio takes office Jan. 1 but said the family would 'phase in' the move over the next few months. He added that the family would keep their row house and frequently visit the neighborhood.

The graceful Federal-style mansion - which has eight bathrooms, as opposed to just one in their Brooklyn home - will be the site of many of the mayor's meetings and social gatherings.

The current structure was built in 1799 by a merchant named Archibald Gracie in a location that, at the time, was in the countryside more than 5 miles north of the fledgling city. It changed hands several times until it was seized by the city in 1896 after the owner failed to pay taxes.

In 1942, it was designated the official residence of the mayor, and Fiorello LaGuardia moved in. In 1966, the home nearly doubled in size during an expansion and it received a sweeping renovation over the last 12 years. Bloomberg, who dipped into his own fortune to pay for some of the renovations, opened it to the public for tours and events.

The four-bedroom home has 12 full-time employees, including kitchen and gardening staff. It sits on the site once occupied by a home that was destroyed by British cannonballs during the Revolutionary War. One of the 12.5-pound cannonballs was found a century later during construction work and now sits on a mantle in the home.

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