Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is on the fence about whether he will continue living in his non-renovated Park Slope row house or move into Gracie Mansion, the official mayor’s residence in Yorkville.
He plans to decide with his family over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Associated Press reported. While campaigning, de Blasio – and rival Joe Lhota – expressed interest in living in the Federal-style house that overlooks the East River and was unused during Michael Bloomberg’s 12-year regime.
De Blasio has recently been more reluctant to leave Brooklyn, citing a long commute to high school for his 15-year-old son Dante and his 11th Street house’s status as a symbol of his populist image. He bought it for $450,000 in 2000, though the home is now worth $1 million. He owns another nearby house, as part of his mother’s inheritance. De Blasio has failed to properly disclose tens of thousands of dollars in rental income at the latter townhouse, as previously reported.
Gracie Mansion boasts a new $1.25 million kitchen and 14 acres of parkland. [AP via Brooklyn Daily Eagle] — Mark Maurer