The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved an application by a Manhattan homeowner to build a gate at the front of what she called her “celebrity staircase.”
The staircase sits in front of 66 Perry Street, a brownstone in the West Village that was built in 1866 but gained its celebrity status more than a century later, when it became the exterior setting for Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment on the HBO show “Sex and the City.”
Barbara Lorber became emotional as she explained to the panel of commissioners the need to erect a gate that would protect her building and its tenants from a constant stream of fans who come to hang out on the steps and take photos.
“That house shouldn’t be gated,” she said, “but what was beautiful in the late 19th century is unfortunately in need of more protection in our century, in our time,” she said. “I’d hoped for literally decades that this would pass, but at this point I think even someone as stubborn as I am has to admit that this isn’t going away in the near future.”
The brownstone is part of Greenwich Village’s historic district, meaning that any updates to its facade must be approved. Ms. Lorber, who bought the three-family building in 1979, had submitted a letter to the commission requesting permission to build the gate, which would “adhere to the existing authentic historic style.”
On Tuesday, the architect Isidoro Cruz followed Ms. Lorber’s plea with a presentation of his designs for a steel and cast-iron gate that Ms. Lorber hopes will “add to the beauty of the front, not just look like a barrier.”
While the eight commission members present for the hearing were unanimous in their approval of the design, some said they preferred to see a more minimal approach that didn’t include an arch. It was determined that Mr. Cruz will work with them to find a solution.
After Mr. Cruz spoke, representatives from two architectural preservation groups, Village Preservation and the Victorian Society of New York, testified in support of the gate’s design. So did A.J. Parker, a neighbor of Ms. Lorber’s who described the scene at the stoop as “one of the most egregious situations when it comes to personal property being attacked all day, every day.”
“Sex and the City” ran on HBO from June 1998 until February 2004, but its cultural relevance has endured thanks to two subsequent movies, the 2021 spinoff show “And Just Like That …” and a move to Netflix that began in April 2024. The coinciding emergence of social media, particularly Instagram, has made the iconic front stoop a destination for countless fan photos and videos.
“Take all the pictures you wish standing on the street,” Ms. Lorber said Tuesday. “But please don’t climb into our space and into our windows.”
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