McMansion Hell
Type of site
Blog
EditorKate Wagner
URLmcmansionhell.com
LaunchedJuly 2016 (2016-07)
A typical image on McMansion Hell, featuring commentary added to real estate photos

McMansion Hell is a blog that humorously critiques McMansions, large suburban homes typically built from the 1980s to 2008 and known for their stylistic attempt to create the appearance of affluence using mass-produced architecture. The website is run by Kate Wagner, an architectural writer.[1][2][3] The blog is hosted by Tumblr, with 65,000 followers in July 2018.[4] It was created in July 2016.[4]

Content

The blog uses Wagner's commentary atop images of the interiors and exteriors of McMansions, using arrows to note features she finds questionable or in poor taste.[4] Besides critiquing the homes themselves, the website also criticizes the perceived material culture of wastefulness McMansions can represent,[5] gives anecdotes of situations when McMansions have been a poor financial investment,[6] and provides other essays on urban planning and architectural history. The blog offers subscriptions with bonus content, generating sufficient funding for Wagner to work on the blog full-time.[4]

Kate Wagner holds a master's degree in audio science with a specialty in architectural acoustics from Johns Hopkins University's Peabody Conservatory.[4]

Reception

The blog has acquired many fans, with 65,000 followers in July 2018.[4][7][8] Wagner has been interviewed for Paper, The Washington Post, Slate, Business Insider, The Hairpin, and Der Spiegel in Germany, and has appeared on the 99% Invisible podcast.[2] She has gained wide name recognition in architectural circles[9] and has published in the Architectural Digest,[10] The Baffler,[11]The Atlantic,[12] and Jacobin.[13]

In June 2017, Zillow sent Wagner a letter claiming that McMansion Hell violated Zillow's Terms of Service by "reproducing, modifying, and publicly displaying" content from Zillow listings. The letter also suggested that McMansion Hell was in violation of copyright law, was unprotected by fair use, and by interfering with Zillow's business interests may have been violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.[14] After Wagner obtained legal representation from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Zillow declined to pursue legal action against McMansion Hell.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Farivar, Cyrus (June 26, 2017). "'McMansion Hell' used Zillow photos to mock bad design—Zillow may sue". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. 1 2 McCabe, Bret (Summer 2017). "The Blogger behind 'McMansion Hell' Tackles American Consumerism, One Oversized Foyer at a Time". Johns Hopkins Magazine.
  3. ↑ Wagner, Kate. "About". Tumblr. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hate haughty houses? This blog's for you". Los Angeles Times. 20 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Collins, Penn (7 June 2017). "A Brilliant Website Teaches Us Exactly Why McMansions Are So Terrible (And It's Not Just Their Looks)". GOOD Magazine.
  6. ↑ Abbey-Lambertz, Kate (13 October 2016). "The Type Of House You Should Never Buy". Huffington Post.
  7. ↑ Dickey, Colin (3 October 2016). "The Literal Hell of McMansions". Slate.
  8. ↑ "Kate Wagner (brief bio)". curbed.com.
  9. ↑ Britto, Brittany (28 July 2017). "Building a following: Peabody student is making a name for herself in the world of architecture by taking McMansions to task". Baltimore Sun.
  10. ↑ Wagner, Kate (26 July 2017). "Bye, Bad Drop Ceilings! These Charming Acoustic Designs Are Changing the Game". Architectural Digest.
  11. ↑ Wagner, Kate (2023-05-09). "The McMansion as Harbinger of the American Apocalypse". The Baffler. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  12. ↑ Wagner, Kate (20 February 2018). "City Noise Might Be Making You Sick". The Atlantic.
  13. ↑ Wagner, Kate (9 November 2017). "McMansion, USA". Jacobin Magazine.
  14. ↑ Keller, Hadley (27 June 2017). "McMansion Hell Blog Faces Lawsuit from Zillow". Architectural Digest.
  15. ↑ Garun, Natt (June 29, 2017). "Zillow ends its dumb legal crusade against McMansion Hell blogger". The Verge. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
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