“A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule”*…
The American house is growing. These days, the average new home encompasses 2,500 square feet, about 50 percent more area than the average house in the late 1970s, according to Census data. Compared to the typical house of 40 years ago, today’s likely has another bathroom and an extra bedroom, making it about the same size as the Brady Bunch house, which famously fit two families.
This expansion has come at a cost: the American lawn…
As houses have gotten bigger, yard sizes have receded. What gives? “The Shrinking of the American Lawn.”
(Compare and contrast: “Who is the Tiny House revolution for?“)
* Michael Pollan
###
As we eulogize our edgers, we might recall that it was on this date in 1894 that the first issue of The American Lawn Tennis Bulletin, the official organ of the American Lawn Tennis Association, was published. Its name was subsequently changed to American Lawn Tennis Magazine, then to USTA Magazine, after its sponsoring organization– the sanctioning body for amateur tennis in the U.S. and host of the U.S. Open tournament– dropped “Lawn” from its name.
1894 advertisement