For countless TV lovers, the “Brady Bunch” house has always felt like home—even for those who only knew it through a screen. Now, the iconic Studio City house, considered the second-most photographed home in America after the White House, is moving toward official landmark status. And according to one beloved cast member, fans get so emotional when they finally step inside that many burst into tears.

Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady on the classic 1970s sitcom, has been rallying support to preserve what he calls “America’s childhood home.” Before a key Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission hearing on Nov. 6, Knight posted on Instagram asking fans to write letters of support. The outpouring was enormous.

Knight told The New York Post that visitors are often overwhelmed the moment they enter. “I think it represents sanctuary…that we have a supportive, loving place to call home,” he said. “I believe people think that there’s a little Brady in all of us. There’s an aspirational component to it, that we can all do better.”

The current homeowner, Tina Trahan, understands that deeply. Trahan purchased the home in 2023 for $3.2 million and brought in architectural historian Heather Goers—who previously worked to preserve Marilyn Monroe’s home—to prepare the official landmark nomination.

Goers said she was unprepared for the emotional stories that poured in with the support letters. “I lost count of the number of letters I got. I’m reading them and I’m bawling every night,” she said. One man shared how he and his siblings endured abuse growing up. When they watched The Brady Bunch, they wondered, “Why don’t those kids get beaten up like we do?” As adults, he wrote, they reminded one another, “Without The Brady Bunch, how would we have known to be better parents?”

Although Knight filmed the show from the ages of 10 to 15, he still receives letters from fans today—many of whom treat him like family. “I feel like I’m a relative to America,” he shared. “The immediacy with which a complete stranger takes me in…literally would invite me to dinner with the family.”

Interestingly, the cast didn’t actually film inside the real house. Only the 1959 façade appeared on TV—interior scenes were shot on a studio soundstage. That changed when HGTV bought the house in 2018 and created “A Very Brady Renovation,” where the six Brady “kids” helped replicate the show’s original interior down to the tiniest detail. It became HGTV’s most-watched series ever.

When Trahan purchased the home from HGTV, her mission was preservation. “I bought it so nothing would happen to it because I know how important that house is to so many people,” she said. She poured “hundreds of thousands” of dollars into sourcing more than 400 replica props from the original series—from the family’s vintage cars to Alice’s bowling shirt to the vase Peter famously broke.

Knight said Trahan’s dedication is remarkable. “She’s taken it to a whole other level…she’s made sure the writing on the [kitchen] chalkboard is from one of our episodes.”

Today, Trahan uses the home for good. She partners with nonprofits like No Kid Hungry and the John Ritter Foundation to offer 90-minute tours for $275, with every dollar donated to charity. Sometimes, fans are greeted by a surprise host: one of the Brady “kids” themselves.

“People freak out,” Trahan said. “Because they’re walking up to the house and Peter Brady is opening the door…Everybody had a crush on Peter.”

For many fans, the “Brady Bunch” house isn’t just a TV set—it’s a symbol of family, kindness, and hope in a complicated world. And that’s why, even decades later, stepping through the door can still bring people to tears.