Before Gracie Mansion had been constructed, the land (then called Horn's Hook) was home to another estate "Belview." In 1776, the revolutionaries, knowing a good piece of land when they saw it, seized the house and built a fort on its land. However, this marked it for British bombardment and quickly the house and the fort were reduced to ash. It owners, the Waltons did not return and the land remained unoccupied until 1798.

It was then that Archibald Gracie, a shipping merchant, appeared on the scene. Gracie had been born in Scotland in 1755, but come to the new world in 1784 to seek his fortune. New York was the right place to seek it because Gracie was soon able to build a prosperous shipping business. After marrying, Gracie was ready for a country home and so he came to buy the Walton's land.

In 1799, Gracie built his mansion. However, the identity of the architect who designed the house remains a mystery. The most commonly credited architect was Ezra Weeks, the contractor who built the home, however it is not known what part he played (if any) in the design. Others believe that Pierre Charles L'Enfant (the planner of Washington D.C.) had designed a previous mansion on the site and that Gracie Mansion was formed as an addition to said house. The truth remains unknown.

Regardless of the architect, Gracie Mansion was home that befit the stature of Archibald Gracie as one of the fifty richest men in New York. Visitors at Gracie's table included everyone from Alexander Hamilton to DeWitt Clinton. Nor was it confined to American men of note, Louis Philippe, the future kind of France, paid a visit to the Gracie family.

However, the War of 1812 and the disruptions to trade that came with it devastated Gracie's business. In dire financial straits, Gracie sold the mansion to a friend: Rufus King, a wealthy merchant. King would then sell it shortly thereafter in 1923 to Joseph Foulke. The Foulkes lived in Gracie Mansion for 34 years and eventually sold it to Noah Wheaton. Wheaton, despite frequently weaving in and out of debt, held on to the mansion until his death. Meanwhile, the city had grown up around them, with the scenic countryside being built up by developers.

By the early turn of the century, Gracie Manor had gone to seed, the Wheatons having moved out in 1896 and Gracie Mansion and its lands having been incorporated into the East River Park. While the Parks Department considered renovating the historic mansion, it ended up serving as everything from a community center to Parks Department storage to an ice-cream stand. It was Henry Collins Brown and the founding of the Museum of the City of New York that helped preserve the crumbling home.

Founded in 1923, the Museum of the City of New York appointed Gracie Mansion with a host of old furniture, art, relic and other objects pertaining to the history of New York. Costumed mannequins, period rooms, and other exhibits occupied Gracie's halls until the Museum moved to its current home in 1932. It received a much-needed makeover from 1934-1936 funded by the Works Progress Administration, and the powerful Parks Commissioner Robert Moses ensured that it remained open as a house museum.

Nevertheless, the Gracie Mansion House Museum didn't attract many visitors. New Yorkers began suggesting alternative uses as everything from a night club to a tea room. However, Robert Moses wasn't done with Gracie Mansion. Having failed to install Fiorello LaGuardia in the Schwab mansion, in 1941, Moses convinced LaGuardia that Gracie, with its venerable provenance, would be a perfect Mayoral residence. In 1942, the Board of Estimate designated the Mansion as the permanent residence of the mayors of New York.

In 1942, following a series of modernizing renovations by a WPA crew, the LaGuardia family moved in. From then on, it became the social hub for New York's Mayors. In 1966, the Mansion was enlarged with the construction of the Susan E. Wagner Wing, which includes a ballroom and two additional rooms. Though it was completed under the Lindsay administration, the Wagner wing was the eponymous brainchild of Susan E. Wagner (Mayor Wagner's wife, who wanted some space for official receptions.

As the official mayoral reference, Gracie Manor has entertained figures of a similar stature as it had when it was occupied by Gracie. From Nelson Mandela to John F. Kennedy, countless US Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and people of note have graced its door.

Founded in 1981, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy was established to preserve, maintain, enhance, and enliven Gracie Mansion. Under their guidance, major restorations to the Mansion were undertaken between 1981 and 1984, and in 2002 . The conservancy works to raise partnership funds to restore and decorate the historic interior and provide public access via tours, programs, and diverse media platforms. The goal is not only to illustrate the rich history of New York, but also to press this context of continuity into service in helping to shape the City’s dynamic future.