When a younger location scout knocked on the door of 66 Perry Avenue in Manhattan’s West Village three many years in the past, the house owner who reluctantly agreed to permit filming on the entrance stoop couldn’t have imagined that the three-family constructing would turn out to be a cultural treasure higher referred to as Carrie Bradshaw’s house in HBO’s “Intercourse and the Metropolis.”
In keeping with a letter submitted by the constructing’s proprietor to the New York Metropolis Landmarks Preservation Fee and first reported by Emily Sundberg within the Substack publication FeedMe, dwelling within the historic brownstone has been much less idyllic than it might seem onscreen. That’s as a result of, because the letter states, for the reason that present’s 1998 premiere, the entrance steps have turn out to be a “international vacationer vacation spot,” with a endless stream of tourists whose pleasure has at instances overridden their respect of the constructing’s residents.
“At any hour of the day or evening,” reads the letter, “there are teams of tourists in entrance of the home taking flash pictures, partaking in loud chatter, posting on social media, making TikToc (sic) movies, or simply celebrating the second.”
Now, the proprietor is requesting permission from the fee to construct a gate throughout the entrance of the stoop that may shield the constructing from intrusive followers and assist the house owners “to regain an affordable high quality of life.”
On Tuesday, the fee will maintain a public listening to the place the plans for the gate will probably be reviewed and the request will both be authorized or denied.
“I lived close by, so I used to stroll by on a regular basis,” mentioned Candace Bushnell, who wrote the e book the present relies on. “It was round 2002 or 2004, after the present got here out, and we’d stroll by, and we’d simply chuckle.”
After some time, the constructing’s proprietor strung a series out entrance to discourage trespassers — to no avail. Whereas many individuals did respect the chain, others didn’t. The letter to the fee notes that guests climb over the barrier to “pose, dance or lie down on the steps.”
Hoping {that a} gate will function a greater (and extra aesthetically pleasing) deterrent, the proprietor employed the architect Isidoro Cruz to design one which matches the constructing’s facade. The brownstone was in-built 1866 and is a part of Greenwich Village’s historic district, that means that any updates should be authorized by the fee. The proprietor’s letter is adopted by an in depth utility describing the gate’s proposed metal and forged iron design.
“Intercourse and the Metropolis” ran on HBO from June 1998 till February 2004, however its cultural relevance has endured thanks to 2 subsequent motion pictures, the 2021 spinoff present “And Simply Like That…” and a transfer to Netflix that started in April 2024 — all of which have made it extra accessible to new generations. The coinciding emergence of social media, notably Instagram, has turned the long-lasting entrance stoop into the setting for numerous fan pictures and movies.
Whereas all of that is unimaginable for Ms. Bushnell, she will perceive why the constructing’s residents could be pissed off.
“Social media’s actually modified quite a bit — folks learn about issues and so they make pilgrimages there for an Instagram photograph,” she mentioned. “I feel that’s in all probability why they’re saying, ‘Hey, assist us.’ That’s one thing that I by no means thought would occur after I first began writing ‘Intercourse and the Metropolis.’”
