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The World's Ugliest Buildings
Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library, Chicago
If buildings came with footnotes, this one, named for a beloved former mayor who deserved better, would have pages worth of citations. Neoclassical references collide with a glass-and-steel Mannerist roof; throw in some red brick, granite, and aluminum—and a bad sense of scale—and you’ve got way too much architecture class for one day.
The Ugly Truth: Opened in 1991 and designed by the firm Hammond, Beeby, and Babka, the Chicago public library has a helter-skelter application of motifs and styles that’s “locked in the postmodern era,” says Peter Koliopoulos of Circle West Architects in Scottsdale, AZ.
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Comments (82)
Open / CloseAscent at Roebling's Bridge in Covington Kentucky
Ascent at Roebling's Bridge in Covington Kentucky should rank high on this list. It takes away from the great view coming into the Cincinnati area from the south heading north. Bad, bad choice in architechure style if you can call it that.
Longaberger on the other hand is quite unique and has a very clever design.
The Peru Obelisk thingy
Hey, Waydahminnut !!! Isn't this one of those things in Sudan spotted from that spy satellite in "FlashForward " ?!?!!
The purple on the EMP
is for "Purple Haze," duh! I think the EMP is fun to look at, particularly in the drab area around the Space Needle, and it contains the Scifi Museum, which is a plus. It's much better looking than the surrounding hideous high rise condos Greg Nickles sold the land to. It used to be cool how one could see the Space Needle unimpeded from all directions, yet now those condos blot out the sky, and will be on a similar "most hideous" list in a short amount of time.
Longaberger Home Office
Bunny needs an eye exam, this building is unique, bold and beautiful. To compare Longaberger to Crate and Barrel is obscene and lacks understanding of the topic she is trying to write about. Head back to the hutch and find a new topic! This article is "hare-brained"!
glad to see
glad to see that I am not the only one that finds most of these buildings interesting rather than ugly. Bunny must be one boring person if she thinks these buildings are ugly.
I am also disappointed that Federation Square in Melbourne Australia didn't get a mention... has to be the biggest eyesore I have ever seen.
This comment was deleted by the moderator.
In the eye of the beholder
I must disagree with the author. What I see is amazing creativity and vision. People coloring outside the lines. There were an couple of locations that were very odd, but overall I would enjoy seeing these structures in person & up close. But ugly??? Not.
Is Bunny "usually" Wong?
This article must have been a ploy to get folks to comment by T&L because most of these buildings are quite creative. While some are unusual, only a few would qualify as ugly and that would be "MY" opinion. If T&L was hoping to gain subscribers with this strategy I think they are way off base. I'd be more likely to watch Fox News and I'm guessing Bunny and her editor are big fans. What a waste of bandwidth!
The Worlds Ugliest Article
Snarky, uninformed and, mostly, waaaay off base. Nice work, Bunny.
Don't you know art when you see it? I love it !!! When I draw I go deep into myself because I want every part or some parts of me to shine in my work. I'm not an artist just a loving house wife. I do wish that I have worked toward what I love so much and that is art , drawing , painting. UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL !!!
Is Gehry a dirty old man?
The Gehry building looks like some kind of matronly upskirt pose.
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