Where did the term "McMansion" come from?

[JR6ooo4]

I know that Jim McMahon(sp) from the '85 bears built one of the first huge houses in the town of northbrook, where I grew up. So it makes sense there. But now it seems to be a national word....

Did you just hear it and repeat it or do you know why it became popular in your area.

Or did it start in my little hometown?

Mikeeee

 

[jagafen]

I always thought it was a reference to the cookie cutter "chose one of these 5 faboulous home styles" type sub-divisions that were popping up all over the place....you know, nice big house....itty bitty yard, every 3rd home has the same exterior/interior design.....they tend to go up pretty quickly, hence the reference to MC Donald's/ MC mansion type construction.

 

[MushyMushy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion

 

[diznygirl]

Yeah, I figured it had to do with McDonald's too.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

McMansion (muhk.MAN.shun) n. A large, opulent house, especially a new house that has a size and style that doesn't fit in with the surrounding houses.

Example Citation:
In a world of bloated S.U.V.'s and rambling McMansions, there are times when smaller is better.
—Steven E. Brier, "Nikon's New Digital Camera Fits Easily in a Pocket," The New York Times, August 16, 2001

Earliest Citation:
In this dehumanizing, auto-dominated, market-research-driven age of faltering standards of service and aesthetics, our urban and suburban landscapes are becoming more homogenized and worse.

What character their history and ecology might offer is being strip-mined to make way for anonymous residential projects, monolithic office towers, climate-controlled retail complexes of questionable design and awkward transportation systems — all in the abused name of progress.

We are talking here of the march of mini-malls and 'McMansions.'
—Sam Hall Kaplan, "Search for Environmental View of Design," The Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1990

Notes:
The word McMansion has only been a part of the lexicon for a little over ten years, but it has already undergone a fairly significant change in meaning. In fact, the word's current meaning seems to be almost the opposite of its original sense. As the earliest citation shows, McMansion used to mean something similar to cookie-cutter house (that is, a house that has a bland style that's identical to all the nearby houses). This fits nicely with the formation of the word, which is McDonalds (the fast-food chain) + mansion. After all, what could be more bland and "cookie cutter" than the fare served by McDonalds?

I've never heard of it being tied to Jim McMahon. Mostly what this article says, overly-large assembly line like houses.

 

[Crankyshank]

It's an extremely common term here to describe huge cookie cutter houses on small lots with barely any landscaping and are disgustingly over priced.

 

[JR6ooo4]

The mansions are definately not the same in style around here. In fact in one town you may not build the same style or even use the same color brick as another house within 1/2 mile.

I guess the rest of the nation has it wrong and it should be credited to Jim. But once wiki speaks.... it follows the law that "if someone typed it on the internet it must be true". At least they got the date correct.

Mikeeee

 

[princesspiglet]

I absolutely despise McMansions and that is pretty much all there is around here. Who really needs 5000 sq feet of house, I mean seriously! Unless you have 7 kids, there is no need for that much house. It's pretentious.

 

[helenabear]

The mansions are definately not the same in style around here. In fact in one town you may not build the same style or even use the same color brick as another house within 1/2 mile.

I guess the rest of the nation has it wrong and it should be credited to Jim. But once wiki speaks.... it follows the law that "if someone typed it on the internet it must be true". At least they got the date correct.

Mikeeee

IMO, if you have a bunch of big homes built near each other that look nothing alike in style or coloring, I wouldn't call them McMansions at all.

to me they all are the same architect and have similar features. I wouldn't be quite so strong in my opinions to say that the rest of the nation has it wrong and you are right

To me they have nothing to do with what you said at all. Who cares what one rich person builds? He isn't the only one who has ever built a mansion. It makes me think that what you see as a McMansion is not what the rest of the country thinks.

JMO

 

[mickeyfan2]

A McMansion also uses many different architectures to make the house more "opulant".

 

[disneyfan67]

McMansions is also a term also used by some to portray the houses as a knock off or a cheaper alternative of a real mansion. They sprang up in my area of Lake County all over the place and with the lending practices and those risky mortgages, a lot of people who wouldn't normally afford such a big house, were able to swing it. You get a sterile, giant sized house that is mass produced in large quantities that make it cheaper than what it would cost years ago, to build by itself. Don't get me wrong, they're still expensive, but within the reach of a lot more people than years past. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, I never recall seeing homes that big, get built in such large quantities and grouped so close together.

To me it's another example of the American consumer buying what they think is a absolute necessity, instead of getting what they really need. Much like the SUV craze that exploded in the mid to late 90's. Working in the auto business, I saw the proverbial soccer moms with two kids trading in the mini vans for Ford Expeditions and then later, Ford Excursions. I was beginning to wonder how much bigger those things could get and why? Some of the racks in our shop that lifted vehicles in the air for repair, weren't designed to handle the weight of a Excursion and I keep saying to myself, where is this demand coming from? I guess the same can be said with the housing market.

I also guess my mindset and rational comes from a different place or era in time. I don't believe bigger is always better and sometimes I feel moderation is a lost value in this country. Sorry for the mini rant, I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[JR6ooo4]

IMO, if you have a bunch of big homes built near each other that look nothing alike in style or coloring, I wouldn't call them McMansions at all.

to me they all are the same architect and have similar features. I wouldn't be quite so strong in my opinions to say that the rest of the nation has it wrong and you are right

To me they have nothing to do with what you said at all. Who cares what one rich person builds? He isn't the only one who has ever built a mansion. It makes me think that what you see as a McMansion is not what the rest of the country thinks.

JMO

That is the same as saying who discovered america. It was not columbus but that is what was taught in my years of school.

If the term was used first in northbrook then indeed the nation is wrong no matter how many use it wrong or write definitions of what they think it means. I see no way to prove it though other than he built in mid eighties and that is when I first heard the term. Way before wikipedia and the current common use of the word.

Mikeeee

 

[MareQ]

I would venture to guess that the bulk of American doesn't give two hoots about Jim McMahon and his so called "McMansion". The term clearly means something different to you. It has NO connection to any football player for the rest of America.

Nobody "owns" the word.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

hey, if it makes you feel are warm and fuzzy and proud to claim it, go ahead I guess.

But I have to agree that people outside of the town of Arlington Heights are not referring to Jim's really big house when they use it.

 

[helenabear]

That is the same as saying who discovered america. It was not columbus but that is what was taught in my years of school.

If the term was used first in northbrook then indeed the nation is wrong no matter how many use it wrong or write definitions of what they think it means. I see no way to prove it though other than he built in mid eighties and that is when I first heard the term. Way before wikipedia and the current common use of the word.

Mikeeee

Wow, that was a bit condescending of you don't you think? You even said yourself "IF" so you don't know for sure. I was simply pointing out that McMansion was used here when the big homes that all looked pretty much the same came out in the early-mid 80s. It had nothing to do with a larger home being buit at all. Then again my area is known for some larger homes in general, so seeing a larger house in the suburbs doesn't make me bat an eye or think of "creating" a term just for it. Well I guess there is a term... "large home".

 

[Crankyshank]

not to be flippant or anything, but terms take on new meanings all of the time (ex: gay). It doesn't matter to me what the word means someplace else, because I am using it based on the acceptable regional usage.

 

[jmb72]

Nobody "owns" the word.

That's a shame. They should sell words. I'd buy both 'advise' and 'advice' if I could.

 

[mirthmaiden]

I'd buy "inane" and "bicker"

 

[shirleyb]

I'd buy "inane" and "bicker"

Wait, are you buying usernames too? I might have a list.

 

[Beth76]

Hmmm, what is a McMansion? How about a huge house on a regular size lot where the owner can not afford to add a patio at the walk-out basement door or a deck off the one-story-high kitchen door, has his BBQ grill sitting on the driveway and is now selling the house. I drove past one of those this weekend.