Condé Nast’s House and Garden magazine will fold after publishing its December issue. The magazine’s Web site, houseandgarden.com will also close at the end of this year.
The unexpected resignation of Joe Lagani, former publisher of House and Garden, prompted Condé Nast executives to reevaluate the state of the magazine. Lagani left the magazine last month to join Glam Media as VP and general manager of its Living channel.
“After considerable thought, we have decided to cease publication of House and Garden, effective with the December 2007 issue,” Condé Nast president and CEO Charles Townsend said in a company memo.
“I would like to thank Dominique Browning and the entire staff for their award-winning efforts throughout the years,” the memo continued. “House and Garden’s intelligent and graceful editorial attracted a loyal readership. We were proud to publish it.”
House and Garden folded once before — in 1993 — since its 1901 launch.
The glossy reopened in 1996 with David Carey as publisher and Dominique Browning as editor-in-chief.
House and Garden’s ad pages were down 1.4% through September of this year compared to last year.
Condé Nast’s Jane folded in early July of this year, with ad pages down by 17.8%. The 10-year-old women’s magazine had been struggling for years. Its average paid circulation last year was 706,561. Condé Nast shut down monthly glossy Jane with no prior warning to subscribers or employees.
Unlike Jane and House and Garden, other magazines in the Condé Nast stable are going strong. Titles with an increase in ad pages this year include Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler and Cookie.
