New York State Executive Mansion 3.45

The New York State Executive Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of New York. Located at 138 Eagle Street in Albany, New York, it has housed 31 governors and their families. The Italianate building was constructed in 1856 as a banker's private home. Samuel Tilden became the first governor to reside in the house in 1875, and the state purchased it two years later.Over the years, various governors have affected the residence. Theodore Roosevelt, for example, had a gymnasium constructed during his stay. Franklin Roosevelt installed a swimming pool in 1932. It was subsequently filled in when its building was converted into a greenhouse, but Mario Cuomo had the pool restored during his tenure. Alfred E. Smith had a zoo built, and Nelson Rockefeller added the mansion's tennis courts. Twenty-nine consecutive governors had used the building on a mostly full-time basis until Governor George Pataki.After a fire in 1961 the possibility of building or purchasing a newer modern mansion uptown was considered, but Governor Nelson Rockefeller fought for restoration and was instrumental in getting the mansion named to the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 1980s, the Executive Mansion Preservation Society was established to coordinate restoration of the home. Inmates from state prisons once staffed the mansion.