Online architecture

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, August 1, 1996 by Lorne Manly

The demise of Progressive Architecture earlier this year was hard to swallow for some. But now members of the magazine's business and editorial teams are working with the developer behind American Lawyer's Counsel Connect to launch an online community for architects. ArchitectREACH, slated for a November 1 debut, will offer original content along with Internet access, customized news and e-mail capabilities. The monthly subscription fee has yet to be determined, but is expected to fall between $15 and $20, says Tom Fisher, a partner in the project and the former editorial director of Progressive Architecture.

New York City-based ArchitectREACH also plans to charge a premium for specific product and reference databases. It already has forged deals with Clark Reports (which provides lists of clients looking for architects) and Search Publishing (databases of journal articles). The other partners include Gloria Adams, former vice president and associate publisher of Progressive Architecture; former editor John Morris Dixon; former publisher Philip Hubbard Jr.; and Kevin Lippert, founder and head of the Princeton Architectural Press. The five own about 40 percent of the venture. New York City-based Reach Networks owns the rest.