A New Mexico housing development has issued a groveling apology after they named home designs after Anne Frank and Harriet Tubman.
Abrazo Homes in Albuquerque featured a house on Zillow called The Harriet, named after former slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman, The New York Times reported.
Another was dubbed The Anne after the famous Jewish girl who penned a diary while being persecuted by the Nazis in Europe.
They sparked outrage when they were uncovered online this week, with social media users venting ‘this is why you hire a real copywriter’.
Brian McCarthy, the company co-founder, issued an apology on Tuesday and said the firm would be updating their marketing materials.
Pictured: The Harriet: The Zillow posting read before it was removed: ‘Just like Harriet Tubman, the icon of American courage and freedom, this home stands out amongst the crowd,’ read the listing that boasted the home’s entertainer’s kitchen, great room and vaulted cielings’
Pictured: A photo of The Anne, a two-to-three bedroom home ranch style adobe home, whose design layout was named after Anne Frank, listed on the Abrazo Home website. By Tuesday, any reference of Anne Frank was removed from the company’s website
The Harriet, in Rio Rancho, was listed as the winner of the ‘Buyer’s Choice Award’ in the Parade of Homes on the company’s website.
According to Zillow, the price of the home was $370,475 on December 29 before it was taken down.
By Monday, the listing had garnered nearly 80,000 page views – more than triple the views of similar properties in the area.
‘Just like Harriet Tubman, the icon of American courage and freedom, this home stands out amongst the crowd,’ read the listing.
Also on the company’s website was The Anne, a 1,750-square foot, three bed that features an open floor plan, raised ceilings, a great room, and a garage.
It was named after Anne Frank, who hid in an an attic in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands before she was was killed in a concentration camp.
Part of the home’s description states: ‘In her diary, Anne Frank discussed her view of the seasonally changing tree.’
‘In honor of her, we have designed our Anne plan to maximize the view, we feel would be suitable for Anne herself.’
By Tuesday, the company’s website had removed any Anne Frank references on its page.
Co-founder McCarthy said the company decided to name floor plans after influential women when it was founded 14 years ago to ‘acknowledge their place in history.’
Other home 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 it might come across as insensitive and lacking awareness.
‘It’s unfortunate that this oversight has diminished our sincere efforts to pay homage 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 choice of names. One person said: ‘WTF is a Harriet Tubman style suburban home floor plan?’
Another wrote: ‘Apparently on Zillow you can now buy a house that stands out from the crowd just like Harriet Tubman that has a ‘Harriet floor plan,’ and this is why you hire a normal person as a copywriter.’
Another said: ‘Look there’s a reason Rio Rancho is known as the embarrassment of New Mexico.’
‘And why it is it in New Mexico???,’ they quipped, in part. ‘They weren’t even on the Underground Railorad.’