(Photo: Superstock)

Ever since investors bought the Apthorp (former home to Al Pacino and Nora Ephron) three years ago with the intent of taking it condo, the gracious Upper West Side building’s residents have gotten a bit edgy over higher rents and evictions. So when the management recently requested that residents remove their doormats, alleging they were a “tripping hazard,” the tenants association fought back. They sent a letter calling the request “capricious” and “without any basis.” “There are all kinds of apartment buildings,” the association’s letter asserted, “and not a single one of them has ever had such a rule put in place.” But a management spokesperson explained that “in order to proceed with the beautification of the hallways, naturally, things need to get out of the way,” adding that the real problem was bikes in the hall. Eventually, “They’ll be getting these gorgeous new mats.”

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Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Jessica Pressler
• Table of Contents: Apr 20, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!