The iconic New York City brownstone that served as Carrie Bradshaw’s home in Sex and the City and its sequel And Just Like That is getting a much-needed security upgrade. After years of dealing with invasive fans, Barbara Lorber, the building’s owner since 1978, has been granted permission to install an iron gate to deter trespassers.
A Fan Hotspot Turned Headache
The brownstone at 66 Perry Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village has been a magnet for fans since its debut in Sex and the City in 1998. However, the foot traffic has led to troubling behavior, including graffiti on the steps, carved initials in the doorframe, and strangers climbing the stoop to peer through windows.
Currently, a simple chain marks the stoop as private property, but it’s far from effective. "People have threatened to punch me in the face," one neighbor testified at a recent public hearing, describing how entitled some visitors act when confronted.
A Decision Decades in the Making
In her application to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Lorber explained how the stoop became part of television history. "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," she admitted, recalling how a young location scout convinced her to allow filming.
"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," she said.
Carrie Moves On
Season 3 of And Just Like That will see Carrie moving to a new three-story luxury apartment in Gramercy Park, leaving her rent-controlled Perry Street space to her neighbor, Lisette (Katerina Tannenbaum). While her iconic stoop may not feature as prominently, it remains a symbol of the series’ cultural impact.
For Lorber, the new gate is a long-awaited step toward preserving her historic home while maintaining its place in TV history.
