Perched on the East River, Gracie Mansion hardly looks like a dump. The five-bedroom property is dumpy enough, however, that moving into the house somehow fits in with new-ish Mayor Bill de Blasio’s populist appeal. It’s also unflashy enough that when Michael Bloomberg, de Blasio’s billionaire predecessor who oversaw millions of dollars of renovations, opted not to live in the residence and instead keep it open for tours and events, he was seen as a total snob.

The house and surrounding land has been estimated to be worth between $125 to $200 million, a pretty price that had at least one area columnist suggesting the city sell the “symbol of 1-percenter decadence” before the de Blasios revealed they’d be moving into the residence.

Gracie Mansion comes with a stunning master bathroom, complete with an ornate, patterned floor, marbled walls, and impressive tub, and has a veranda accented by impressive bridge views (a benefit of being a 15-minute walk to the nearest subway station). But while it’s certainly a charming property, the mansion the first family is moving into comes with a history of continual renovations, unfortunate accidents, and even a dissolved marriage. Ahead, we resurrect some stories from the residence’s extensive history, highlighting some of the problems past tenants endured, with the hopes that the de Blasios won’t suffer similar fates once they settle into the property at 88th Street and East End Avenue.

Renovations and paint jobs at Gracie Mansion have made news for decades. In 1936, a restoration of the home—then not an official residence of the mayor—was completed. (The first mayor to live in the mansion was Fiorello La Guardia, who took up residence in May 1942 - at the behest of Robert Moses, his parks commissioner.)

Restoration of the old Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park has been virtually completed by the Park Department, an inspection yesterday disclosed. Period furniture is now being assembled, and it is expected that the former country estate of Archibald Gracie, merchant prince of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, can be reopened to the public on May 1.

In 1965, Mayor-elect John Lindsay offered to pay for a new paint job out of pocket: