A New Mexico housing project has issued a groveling apology after naming house designs after Anne Frank and Harriet Tubman.
Abrazo Homes in Albuquerque had a home on Zillow called The Harriet, named after former slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman, The New York Times reported.
Another was called The Anne, after the famous Jewish girl who wrote a diary while persecuted by the Nazis in Europe.
They caused outrage when they were discovered online this week, with social media users saying: ‘This is why you hire a real copywriter’.
Company co-founder Brian McCarthy apologized Tuesday and said the company would update its marketing materials.
Pictured: The Harriet: The Zillow post was read before it was deleted: ‘Like Harriet Tubman, the icon of American courage and freedom, this home stands out from the crowd,’ read the ad featuring the entertainer’s kitchen, the great room and vaulted ceilings’
Pictured: A photo of The Anne, a two- to three-bedroom ranch-style adobe home whose design layout is named after Anne Frank and listed on the Abrazo Home website. On Tuesday, every reference to Anne Frank was removed from the company’s website
The Harriet, in Rio Rancho, was listed as a Buyer’s Choice Award winner in the Parade of Homes on the company’s website.
According to Zillow, the price of the house was $370,475 on December 29 before it was demolished.
As of Monday, the listing had been viewed nearly 80,000 times, more than triple the views of similar properties in the area.
“Like Harriet Tubman, the icon of American courage and freedom, this home stands out from the crowd,” the ad read.
Also on the company’s website was The Anne, a 1,700-square-foot triple with an open floor plan, raised ceilings, a great room and a garage.
It is named after Anne Frank, who hid in an attic in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands before her death was killed in a concentration camp.
Part of the description of the property states: ‘In her diary, Anne Frank discussed her view of the seasonally changing tree.’
“In her honor, we designed our Anne plan to maximize visibility, which we believe would be suitable for Anne herself.”
By Tuesday, the company’s website had removed all Anne Frank references on the page.
Co-founder McCarthy said the company decided to name floor plans after influential women when it was founded 14 years ago to “recognize their place in history.”
Other house layouts on their site named after iconic women include The Marilyn, The Coco, The Amelia (Amelia Earhart), and The Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher).
McCarthy said: “We recognize that the language used in the plan description is insufficient and understand how this may come across as insensitive and lacking awareness.
“It is unfortunate that this oversight has diminished our sincere efforts to pay tribute to some of the most remarkable women in history.”
McCarthy said Abrazo Homes’ marketing materials have been updated to “more accurately communicate our intent to honor these women.”
Social media users were shocked by the name choice. One person said: ‘WTF is a floor plan of a Harriet Tubman style house?’
Another wrote, “Apparently you can now buy a house on Zillow that stands out from the crowd, just like Harriet Tubman, which has a ‘Harriet floor plan,’ so you hire a normal person as a copywriter.”
Another said, “Look, there’s a reason why Rio Rancho is known as the shame of New Mexico.”
“And why is it in New Mexico???” they partly joked. “They weren’t even on the Underground Railroad.”