The owner of a New York City apartment famously featured as Carrie Bradshaw's home in "Sex and the City" and its sequel, "And Just Like That…," has been granted permission to move forward with plans to protect the property from damage by over-excited fans.
On Tuesday, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a request from Barbara Lorber, who has owned the Greenwich Village residence since 1978, to install an iron gate aimed at keeping visitors off the famous stoop, Entertainment Weekly reported. During a public hearing, the commission stipulated that Lorber and her architect must work with city officials to finalize the gate's design.
The residence has been a major attraction for fans of "Sex and the City" since it initially appeared in the series' first season in 1998. In a letter to the commission, Lorber described how fans over the years damaged the property by spraying graffiti on the steps, carving initials into the doorframe, and even climbing the stoop to look into the windows.
"At any hour of the day or night, there are groups of visitors in front of the house taking flash photos, engaging in loud chatter, posting on social media, making TikToc [sic] videos, or just celebrating the moment," Lorber wrote to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, according to BBC.
A chain declaring the stoop as private property is currently the only barrier in place to deter fans. However, during Tuesday's public hearing, a neighbor of Lorber testified via Zoom that visitors frequently ignore the chain and climb over it.
"People have threatened to punch me in the face … They feel so entitled to this piece of private property that I don't think it's actually coming across how severe the situation is," the neighbor said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"The front of my home appeared in the 'Sex and the City' TV series as the exterior of character Carrie Bradshaw's apartment. My fault," Lorber's initial letter to the commission reads. "I felt sorry for the young location scout who was a recent grad from NYU Film School. He told me if he didn't secure this house, he would lose his first real job in the business. At the time, no one knew the show would turn into anything long-lasting … much less, the iconic fantasy vehicle and touchstone for NYC's magic that it has become."
On Tuesday, speaking at the hearing, she said the residence, built in 1866, is now "in need of more protection in our century and our time."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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