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Travel's Top 10 Ugly Buildings

Travel's Top 10 Ugly Buildings

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081114/...vel_picks_ugly

Travel Picks: 10 top ugly buildings and monuments

Bookmarks Print Fri Nov 14, 6:39 am ET Reuters – The Montparnasse tower, the tallest building in Europe is seen dominating Paris skyline, March 14, 2005. … SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Travel can open your eyes to some of the world's most beautiful sights and buildings -- and to some of the ugliest.

Web site VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) has come up with a list of "The World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings and Monuments" according to their editors and readers. Reuters has not endorsed this list.

"Some of these picks have all the charm of a bag of nails while others are just jaw-dropping in their complexity. Love them or hate them, the list is certainly entertaining," said General manager Giampiero Ambrosi.

1. Boston City Hall; Boston, Massachusetts

While it was hip for it's time, this concrete structure now gets routinely criticized for its dreary facade and incongruity with the rest of the city's more genteel architecture. Luckily, it's very close to more aesthetically pleasing attractions.

2. Montparnasse Tower; Paris, France

While it's almost universally agreed that this ominous stick is a blight on the landscape of the world's most stunning city, its detractors admit that there is one very good reason to take in the view from the building's observation deck: it's the only place you can go to get a view of the city without it.

3. LuckyShoe Monument; Tuuri, Finland

It may be over-the-top, but there is something to be said for the giant, golden horseshoe that looms over Finland's second-largest shopping center. The shoe, and, in fact, the entire town in which it is situated, is said to bring good luck.

4. Metropolitan Cathedral; Liverpool, England

The people who work here must be sick of the space capsule jokes. Even those who find the building's shell a bit "spacey," have to admit the circular interior is pretty spectacular.

5. Port Authority Bus Terminal; New York City, New York

Those who pass by this iron monstrosity might be tempted to ask about a completion date, but alas, this is the finished product.

6. Torres de Colon; Madrid, Spain

Like a set of giant salt-and-pepper shakers, these matching towers loom over the city to the dissatisfaction of many area residents. The buildings are also known as "El Enchufe" or "The Plug" for the plug-like structure that holds them together.

7. Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts; Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Some feel the building's minimalist box design is a triumph, others say it's an eyesore.

8. Scottish Parliament Building; Edinburgh, Scotland

Stone, oak, and bamboo are part of the make-up of the Scottish Parliament, a building that is the subject of much debate.

9. Birmingham Central Library; Birmingham, England

One look and it's easy to see how this genre of architecture came to be known as the "Brutalist" style. Not surprisingly, the issue of its possible demolition has been looming for years.

10. Peter the Great Statue; Moscow, Russia

Some 15 stories high, the larger-than-life monument was designed by controversial artist, Zurab K. Tsereteli, whose statue of Christopher Columbus was repeatedly rejected by the United States.

A thread like this needs photos:

1. Boston City Hall; Boston, Massachusetts
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nCityHall2.JPG
Source: Wikimedia.org

2. Montparnasse Tower; Paris, France
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_view_arc.jpg
Source: Steven Strehl via Wikimedia.org

3. LuckyShoe Monument; Tuuri, Finland
http://www.tuuri.fi/in/images/storie...nkenka_iso.jpg
Source: Tuuri.fi

4. Metropolitan Cathedral; Liverpool, England
http://dar2dream.files.wordpress.com...201007_230.jpg
Source: Dare To Dream Blog

5. Port Authority Bus Terminal; New York City, New York
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/b...8eighthave.jpg
Source: bridgeandtunnelclub.com

6. Torres de Colon; Madrid, Spain
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._20071028a.jpg
Source: Wikipedia

7. Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts; Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Couldn't find anything that wasn't stamp-sized.

8. Scottish Parliament Building; Edinburgh, Scotland
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/62...c324c8.jpg?v=0
Source: Planet Adventure on Flickr

9. Birmingham Central Library; Birmingham, England
http://www.bobpiper.co.uk/ChamberlainSquare2.jpg
Source: Bob Piper

10. Peter the Great Statue; Moscow, Russia
http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/9888253.jpg
Source: panoramio.com

I agree with the list, in the sense that they've picked a bunch of aggressively hideous buildings that blight their surroundings. But they could have just as easily picked 10 lower key ugliest buildings that simply look like Holiday Inns.

I think Montparnesse is a wonderful contrast. I don't find it offensive at all. Parisians may disagree though.

I wonder if these people who made up this list have seen many buildings.

... I think it's the ugliest building I've ever seen...

National Library, Buenos Aires, Argentina

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/700...785a278e_o.jpg

Several buildings on that list are jst fine. Brutalism gets such a bad rap. If they were all little one story stucco buildings with plastics Mansard roofs, the (imo tasteless) people who wrote this article would have passed them right over.

Boston City hall in particular is a pretty decent brutalist building. The landscaping is horrible, but the building is nice. Seriously, this article seems to thing just because soemthing is concrete its bad, but look at that (omg so beautiful) brick wall alndscaping. Thats the real problem with the building. Brutalism can be a very effective style and a great addition to many urban environments. It sucks that it gets such a bad rap.

The one manyin posted should definately be on the list though.

I agree Alliance that brutalism get's a bad wrap, while the masses are a gaw gaw over the romantic italianates, beaux arts, etc. etc. Brutalism is often a very fine line to walk between a success and an abject failure. As you pointed out with Boston's contribution and I agree, " a little creative landscaping could go a long way." Also, a beautiful water feature could be an incredible compliment.

Quote:

The one manyin posted should definately be on the list though.

yes... it MUSt be on the list (:haha: ) it's HORRIBLE!! :D

...

I don't know why it is the National Library... there are so many pretty buildings in Buenos Aires!! It should be domolished!

Yeah...I really don't agree with that list.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alliance (Post 3913692)

**Thanks peanut** for the pictures...

I dont think its the ugliest building in the world, reminds me of Dallas city hall. And yes I agree the plaza/parking/landscape is horrendous. A great building should not have to rely so heavily on landscaping to make it passable.

Some of these are actually quite decent - Scottish Parliament, Boston City Hall, Metropolian, Birmingham - WTF?

But Port Authority sure does merit a spot.

Never heard of the LuckShoe Monument before, but with a great name like that, how bad can it be, really?

And why isn't that goofy supertall hotel in Pyongyang NK on the list?

What? Where is the elephant building (Bangkok)? The list is obviously hogwash.

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images...ng-bangkok.jpg
Source: http://www.neatorama.com/2007/09/15/...gkok-thailand/

And you cannot forget the Kaden building in Louisville (KY):

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/k...den/whole3.jpg

found at: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...=268714&page=2

^^wow, and to think, somebody thought that was the greatest design ever......and convinced others of that. Amazing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport (Post 3917306)

And you cannot forget the Kaden building in Louisville (KY):

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/k...den/whole3.jpg

found at: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...=268714&page=2

The funny thing about that building is if it didn't say Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on it, I would've guessed it was located in Southeast Asia.

This list is woefully offtrack. Obviously it wasn't written by anyone who had any sense of architectural history, for the list would undoubtedly look much different if they had.
Almost everything on that list is influential, and widely regarded as important in terms of architectures development.
Most people only make surface level readings of things though, so I guess it makes sense that the list is extremely flawed.
The Kaden Building is a superb testament to its time. Not "good looking" in atypical sense, but significant none the less.

Those concerns have little if anything to do with what most people like.