The New York Times is shuttering its Home section, executive editor Dean Baquet announced in a company-wide email this afternoon. Next Thursday's edition will be the very last. Rumors have been swirling for a while that the section, which recently told readers about the trend of exhibitionist bathrooms with risqué windows that is sweeping New York City, would be folded into one of the other shelter-focused parts of the paper. Indeed, that appears to be what is happening.

Here's the full memo:

Over the past couple of months, we've set out on a major overhaul of the feature sections, which display some of our finest writing and most powerful images. We have reimagined some sections, including the Sunday magazine and Food. And we are creating a monthly men's style section to extend the franchise created by Thursday and Sunday Styles.

As we pursue this endeavor, I've concluded that coverage from the Home section would fit best in other parts of The Times, including Food and Real Estate. So I have decided to close Home; its last issue will be next week.

Over the years -- most recently under the leadership of Noel Millea -- Home has done a magnificent job capturing trends in home design and architecture. It has featured some of our biggest stars, including Suzanne Slesin and Penelope Green (Penelope will be joining Styles).

Our feature journalism is on the rise across The Times. The Sunday Magazine under Jake Silverstein has become an enticing platform for some of our best narratives, photography, and now even poetry. Jim Windolf has just arrived from M Magazine to begin creating a new monthly men's style magazine. The Cooking ​site​ has ​nearly three ​million users and has opened up a whole new way of thinking about the possibilities of our feature coverage online. A group of us is also involved in thinking of other lines of coverage.

Our feature sections are an essential part of The Times. They include some of our core beats, like fashion and food. And they broaden the entire personality of the report that we present to readers.

· All New York Times coverage [Curbed National]