What Happened to Curbed Website?

Curbed has recently returned as part of New York Magazine, complete with an intricate redesign and improved site experience.

Vox Media, the owner of SB Nation, Verge, and Racked publications, recently purchased New York for $20-30 million but is shuttering city sites in Washington D.C., Seattle, and New Orleans.

Vox Media shuts down Curbed.

Vox Media purchased Vox Real Estate & Urban Design website in 2013. Still, its local offshoots in Washington D.C., Seattle, and New Orleans will close effective Wednesday as part of an overall cost-cutting initiative to prepare for an expected economic slowdown. CEO Jim Bankoff issued an internal memo outlining that decision as one way of “getting ahead of increased uncertainty” through trimming back initiatives with lower staff requirements or lesser criticality – such decisions won’t impact namesake outlet Vox itself as well as brands, including New York Magazine, The Verge/Dodo/EATER Grub Street Intelligencer Intelligencer/Thrillist among others.

Bankoff noted in his memo that Vox Entertainment will continue investing in initiatives that are performing well, such as podcasting and its production arm Vox Entertainment, yet noted this move will enable them to refocus resources on its top-performing properties to expand them further.

Curbed was once comprised of Racked and local city blogs in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. But Vox Media closed Racked and folded the remaining Curbed sites into New York Magazine in 2018.

Curbed will remain rooted in New York, taking on similar qualities to publications like The Cut, Vulture, and The Strategist regarding its content and style. Curbed will feature evergreen stories about New York and national news reports coverage while maintaining its distinct local feel.

Uncertain of how the new Curbed will encompass its recently relaunched local city offshoots or whether they will continue existing, Vox spokesperson stated that prioritizing investment in cities where growth had been strong, experimenting with new areas of coverage, and prioritizing national reporting are among the priorities set by Vox.

LionTree Capital Management, Morgan Lewis, and Panarae Group provided $200 million through a recent funding round for this New York-based media company valued at approximately $1 billion. Their sites include Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater Vulture, and SB Nation Thrillist Recode Seeker Polygon.

Curbed merged into New York Magazine

The local real estate and urban design site, Curbed, merged with New York Magazine on Tuesday. Vox Media expects the merger will set Curbed on a path “that’s both editorially ambitious while more sustainable as a business” while streamlining administrative and operational expenses and saving costs through synergies between them.

New York Magazine has long been revered, winning 41 National Magazine Awards since 2006. Vulture, The Cut, Grub Street, and The Strategist have also gained immense credibility. When they announced the merger, CEO Jim Bankoff, and Publisher Jessica Wasserstein assured readers there would be no layoffs or closure of any editorial sites as part of this merger agreement.

Curbed is one of Vox Media’s oldest and largest local publications, boasting sites in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Additionally, Vox also operates national news and commentary outlets such as The Verge, SB Nation TheWrap & Recode for additional coverage.

Curbed’s expansion across cities across the U.S. broadened and improved architecture writing, and its coverage was often thought-provoking and entertaining. Yet, its merger into New York shocked its many fans, who expected steady growth with great journalism from their favorite publication.

Now, New York Magazine Curbed will be seamlessly integrated into New York Magazine’s homepage and navigation, similar to Vulture and The Cut. The Curbed vertical will include three sections: Cityscape for architecture criticism and development news; Real Estate (realty listings and listings for sale); and Design Hunting – an expanded version of writer Wendy Goodman’s column in New York Magazine.

Vox Media will continue publishing Curbed in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, and Chicago at a reduced frequency and staff levels during a furlough period that begins Monday. Furthermore, Seattle, New Orleans, and Philadelphia sites will continue with reduced editorial teams.

Curbed L.A. shuts down.

Vox Media-owned Curbed has announced the merger of their national real estate and urban design site into New York Magazine, becoming a semiautonomous vertical similar to Vulture or the Cut. Local city sites in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia will cease publication and replace evergreen content at reduced frequency before editors in those cities are transferred elsewhere within New York Media company.

Curbed will relaunch as a digital subscription magazine based in New York, covering architecture and design, neighborhoods and characters, real estate policy and politics, power brokers and rabble-rousers, and national topics related to cities during times of rapid change. Curbed will remain behind a paywall like its other subscription verticals within Curbed magazine.

The site logo is intended to resemble a small puzzle, with letters forming the impression of an urban cityscape seen from above, drawing inspiration from late New York co-founder Milton Glaser’s legendary Apple brand design work. Our website experience celebrates planned and improvised elements combining typographic sophistication with vibrant visual styles that capture its energy and dynamics.

Vox Media acquired New York Magazine in late 2019 and experienced financial challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. New York Magazine implemented layoffs and pay cuts for some employees to mitigate costs during this time. It shifted advertising budgets towards more profitable formats – this relaunch marks its latest step toward sustainability.

Curbed Philly shuts down.

Curbed Philly, the city-focused branch of Curbed Real Estate & Urban Design website, announced via Twitter on March 15 that after eight years, the website had ended and noted its closure: “Sadly, Curbed Philly is no more.

Vox Media, owner of New York Magazine as well as Vulture, The Cut, and Grub Street properties such as Curbed site nationally as well as local versions in cities like Washington D.C., Seattle, and New Orleans, announced plans last month to shut down national Curbed website in favor of local versions that continue its mission of covering urban life – although its presence may vary in print editions of New York Magazine.

New York’s version of the site boasts an innovative redesign and site experience that celebrates both planned and unplanned actions. Backed by Italian appliance maker DeLonghi, its relaunch will include coverage such as “Design Hunting,” which highlights unique finds, and “Corner Shop,” which highlights tastemakers influencing trends.

At a time of increasing competition for readers’ attention, New York Magazine’s relaunch and its Curbed vertical are indicators that this magazine can remain an engaging home for quality journalism. Vox Media hopes this move will also contribute to its goal of becoming more sustainable as an enterprise; recently, it made significant cuts, including furloughing employees, cutting salaries, reducing the frequency of publications, etc.

The merger between New York Magazine and Curbed Sites will bring together some of the most experienced digital journalists working in urbanism, real estate, and architecture – though fans of longtime local news sources will likely feel some sadness. Curbed was established in 2004 as an authority on New York real estate market news and urban development issues; over time, its reach expanded to cover cities nationwide through local offshoots. Vox purchased Curbed in 2013 and established a national version just last year before merging its parent company, New York Media, with Vox earlier this year – before Vox acquired Curbed from Vox earlier this year!