Kate Wagner

Architecture Critic

@mcmansionhell

Kate Wagner is The Nation’s architecture critic and a journalist based in Chicago and Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Your Dream House Might Be a Fantasy

Your Dream House Might Be a Fantasy Your Dream House Might Be a Fantasy

AI has has invaded the real estate industry, dissolving the boundaries between image enhancement and false advertising.

Nov 6, 2025 / Kate Wagner

In UChicago’s Mansueto Library, the bookstacks are all underground and unbrowsable.

Why Did UChicago Destroy the Humanities? Why Did UChicago Destroy the Humanities?

The answer is simple: to spend untold sums on useless buildings by starchitects.

Oct 15, 2025 / Column / Kate Wagner

No, the White House Is Not Getting a 90,000-Foot Extension

No, the White House Is Not Getting a 90,000-Foot Extension No, the White House Is Not Getting a 90,000-Foot Extension

But Trump’s doomed proposal does give us a revealing glimpse into his state of mind.

Aug 28, 2025 / Kate Wagner

Niloofar Apartment in Tehran by Alidoost and Partners.

Iranian Brickwork Shows Us Better Architecture Is Possible Iranian Brickwork Shows Us Better Architecture Is Possible

Why the beauty and inventiveness of contemporary masonry in Iran has captured Western audiences.

Jul 23, 2025 / Kate Wagner

A former tobacco warehouse in South Boston that has been converted to apartments.

One Solution to the Housing Crisis Is in Plain Sight One Solution to the Housing Crisis Is in Plain Sight

The shortage can be addressed not through costly new development but by reusing existing buildings.

Jun 2, 2025 / Kate Wagner

The future president in Trump Tower circa 1987.

Real Estate Is the Key to Trump’s Worldview Real Estate Is the Key to Trump’s Worldview

His policies and behavior may often baffle, but he is a developer at heart.

Apr 28, 2025 / Kate Wagner

Parts of LA  Are Not Going to Be Habitable

Parts of LA Are Not Going to Be Habitable Parts of LA Are Not Going to Be Habitable

Insurers have figured out that risk is too high in parts of California. We need to re-conceive how people are housed, and fast.

Mar 12, 2025 / Column / Kate Wagner

The Real Problem With Trump’s Cheesy Neoclassical Building Fetish

The Real Problem With Trump’s Cheesy Neoclassical Building Fetish The Real Problem With Trump’s Cheesy Neoclassical Building Fetish

Sure, it’s a dog whistle for “retvrn” types and the results are tacky—but that’s not the worst part.

Feb 12, 2025 / Column / Kate Wagner

Donald Trump enjoys a good faux-Hellenic column.

Trump Will Not Make Architecture Great Again Trump Will Not Make Architecture Great Again

Last term, his ill-informed embrace of “traditional” aesthetics fanned the flames of the culture wars. This time, he’s poised to do even more damage.

Jan 7, 2025 / Kate Wagner

The Brutalist and the Hidden Work of Architecture

The Brutalist and the Hidden Work of Architecture "The Brutalist" and the Hidden Work of Architecture

A film about survival, creativity, the hypocrisies of high art, The Brutalist tells a story about an architect who does not exploit and manipulate others to achieve his grand visi...

Dec 18, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kate Wagner

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