Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg’s Many Houses: A Somewhat Complete List

While slamming Bernie Sanders in last week’s debate for owning three homes, Bloomberg claimed he lives in “New York City, thank you very much.” But the truth, of course, is much more complicated.
michael bloomberg
By ROBERTO CACCURI/CONTRASTO/Redux.

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Everyone with a television can agree: Mike Bloomberg did not do so well at the Democratic debate last week. The billionaire former mayor of New York City suffered blinding attacks from Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and the rest of the group, and was mostly unsuccessful in his attempts to turn the tables. He did, however, throw out one practiced line about Sanders: “The best-known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses.”

Sanders replied by detailing his real estate portfolio, which, like many members of Congress, includes a house in D.C. as well as a house in his hometown, in his case Burlington, Vermont. He also has a summer home on Lake Champlain. “Which tax haven is your home?” he asked Bloomberg.

Bloomberg retorted that he pays taxes and lives in New York City, but the truth, of course, is much more complicated—and luxurious. Bloomberg does live in New York, and depending on how you count them, he reportedly has eight homes in the state. He also reportedly owns several properties in London, Florida, Colorado, and Bermuda, where locals have referred to him as a part-time resident.

Stu Loeser, Bloomberg’s longtime chief spokesperson who is now a senior adviser to the campaign, told Vanity Fair, “Mike has bought a lot of properties over the years that today are used by family members, like his daughters and grandkids. He made no secret of living in his own house when mayor, and opened the doors of Gracie Mansion to guests and city workers. Manhattan is still his home and where he pays his taxes, but he does spend time in some of the other properties he owns too.” He declined to comment on specific details, current ownership, or prices.

So how do Bloomberg’s real-estate holdings compare to Sanders’s? Let’s estimate, based on available evidence—because Bloomberg’s spokespeople did not confirm details, it is difficult to know for sure just how many of these houses Bloomberg still owns.

A Beaux Arts “double-wide mansion” and a Trump condo in New York City

Much of what we know about Bloomberg’s properties comes from disclosures he made while mayor. When he left office in 2013, his primary residence was a Beaux-Arts mansion on East 79th street, steps away from Central Park. He reportedly bought the property for $3.5 million in 1986, and spent about $1.7 million on renovations to it in 2013, according to the New York Times. The five-story townhouse has an elevator, but the health-conscious Bloomberg has told reporters that he prefers taking the stairs.

He also prefers more space than that 7,500-square-foot home provides. For years, Bloomberg has been buying up condos in the property next door, in order to create a “double-wide mansion.” Bloomberg has purchased five out of the six units in the next-door building, according to the Washington Post, including one he paid $14 million for in 2016, the Times reported at the time.

If he ever needed to get away from 79th street, it’s possible Bloomberg could walk a few blocks down Park Avenue and visit another condo he bought in late 2000 for $3.8 million, which just so happens to be in a Trump building, Crain’s New York Business reported just last week.

Bloomberg also reportedly owns another Beaux-Arts mansion on East 78th street, which he uses for his philanthropic organization. He bought the place for $45 million in 2006, according to the New York Times, and paid for it in full by check.

A 22,000-square-foot Hamptons estate and Westchester stables

Like Sanders, Bloomberg bought a “getaway” property in his home state—it just so happens to be a 22,000-square-foot Georgian mansion in Southampton. He reportedly purchased the so-called Ballyshear Estate for $20 million in 2011.

Bloomberg has also purchased multiple homes in Westchester: one property in Armonk, and two expansive properties in North Salem, where his equestrian daughter, Georgina, rides horses, according to the Washington Post. In 2011, the same year he bought the Hamptons home, Bloomberg reportedly spent $4.55 million on a 33-acre estate in North Salem, which he combined with the 20-acre estate next door that he bought in 2001.

A $25-million mansion in London and vacation properties in Bermuda, Vail, and Florida

In addition to spending time in the New York power zones of the Upper East Side, the Hamptons, and Westchester, Bloomberg is a perennial figure in London society, where he has reportedly owned two homes: an apartment in Cadogan Square, and a $25 million mansion in Chelsea, which he bought in 2015, according to the New York Times. The latter property was once owned by the novelist George Eliot. When Bloomberg purchased it, English pundits wondered if he was planning a run to succeed London’s then mayor __Boris Johnson.__ (If only.) So far, he seems to have simply enjoyed the seven-bedroom estate, which sits on one of the most expensive streets in the city.

Back in the U.S., Bloomberg reportedly owns vacation properties in Vail, Colorado, and the exclusive community of Wellington, Florida. Bloomberg has spent a Christmas vacation or two at the top-floor, four-bedroom condo in Vail’s Mountain Haus, a ski resort, according to New York Magazine. And he has also spent time with his daughter, Georgina, at the 12-acre property in Wellington, a town known for its International Polo Club. According to a Forbes report from 2016, the property includes a 12-stall horse barn and a mansion with seven bedrooms for people.

He seems particularly fond, though, of his residence in Bermuda. While mayor, he was known to spend weekends on the island, traveling back and forth on private jets, and he is still a prominent figure in the community. He reportedly bought an estate there in 1998 and replaced it with a $10-million mega-mansion and pool. The property includes a private beach, but neighbors told the Times in 2010 that the billionaire is “not much for sunbathing.”

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— How a teenager uncovered Belgium’s royal scandal
— Oscars 2020: All the best-dressed stars on the red carpet
— The dangers of flying rich and flying private
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Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.