Andrew Lapin
A team of home designers outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, has changed its marketing materials after drawing criticism on social media this week for offering a home plan it calls “The Anne,” which the company said was meant as a tribute to Anne Frank.
A co-founder of Abrazo Homes told The New York Times that the title, alongside another floor plan named after Harriet Tubman, was meant “to pay homage to some of the most remarkable women in history.”
The ad copy on Abrazo’s website was altered Tuesday to remove references to Anne Frank, but the floor plan for the 1,750-square-foot single-family home remains listed on the site as “The Anne.” It includes an open-concept kitchen and an option for three to four bedrooms.
“In her diary, Anne Frank discussed her view of the seasonally changing tree,” the original ad copy read. “In honor of her, we have designed our Anne plan to maximize the view, we feel would be suitable for Anne herself.”
Brian McCarthy, a co-founder of the company, told the Times that Abrazo has been naming floor plans after women historical figures since its founding 14 years ago.
“We recognize that the language used in the plan description is insufficient and understand how it might come across as insensitive and lacking awareness,” he said in a statement. He added that the marketing materials had been updated in order to “more accurately communicate our intent to honor these women.”
Anne Frank famously hid with her family from the Nazis in a small annex in an Amsterdam house, unable to leave for more than two years while she wrote her diary. The family was eventually discovered and deported to concentration camps, where Anne died. Her father then published her diary, which became a global bestseller and mainstay of Holocaust education. It has also led to a long, odd cultural footprint, with fast-food restaurants, anti-vaccine advocates and the musician Roger Waters all invoking her name in various, often tasteless ways over the years.
A 3-D model of “The Anne” on Abrazo Homes’ website indicates that the house is one story and does not contain an annex.
