What's the most shameful monstrosity ever built in your city?

[the urban politician]

Name one building (pictures as well) in your city that you curse and wish to spit at every time you pass it by. This building should embody everything you hate in architecture--in fact it should be so bad that if you had a daughter you wouldn't let her go near it because you believe it embodies everything evil in this world. :yuck: :yuck:

[spyguy]

There a number of ones I'd pick, but recently it would have to be Grand Plaza
http://www.aptselector.com/il/images/74008-1.jpg

[CGII]

Milwaukee Post Office

It fits the definition of monstrosity, it's really friggin huge and disgustingly concrete and absolutely filthy. The areas near the roof are simply slathered in bird shit. Thankfully, nothing was demolished to make way for it, it simply replaced a rail yard. The US Post Office said years ago they wanted to replace it, but sadly never elabourated and whatever plans they had now sit far in the back corners of limbo.
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/postoffice72cap.jpg
Of course, the dainty in comparison Amtrak station next door makes it look like a Mies...
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/milwaukeeamtraksta72.jpg
The latter is currently being renovated:
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/nightviewcap.jpg

[vid]

I don't think Thunder Bay has anything like that.................. but if it did, this would be it:

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1120/s1010013is0.jpg

[Buckeye Native 001]

For Orange County, take your pick:

Disneyland
Crystal Cathedral
Knotts Berry Farm
Chapman University
Cal State Fullerton
UC Irvine
Irvine
Laguna Beach
Newport Beach

All of it. Suburban waste. ;)

[bjornson]

For Orange County, take your pick:

Disneyland
Crystal Cathedral
Knotts Berry Farm
Chapman University
Cal State Fullerton
UC Irvine
Irvine
Laguna Beach
Newport Beach

All of it. Suburban waste. ;)

Oh, you're good. Too good. Irvine is the worst of them all! Disneyland is a close second.

[SmileyBoy]

For Fargo, it would be the Central Post Office.

(It's the brown and white piece of dog shit across the street in the middle of the pic):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/IMG_0157.jpg

This is the kind of building that can frighten little children and pregnant mothers.

I guess "decent" brutalist modernism just skipped Fargo completely in the 60's and went directly up to Winnipeg.

[Dalton]

For Orange County, take your pick:

Disneyland
Crystal Cathedral
Knotts Berry Farm
Chapman University
Cal State Fullerton
UC Irvine
Irvine
Laguna Beach
Newport Beach

All of it. Suburban waste. ;)

What's so bad about Irvine? I kind of like it there - the Spectrum (with the new parking structure you can finally find a parking space there!), the clean well-maintained wide streets, the 50 mph speed limit on Alton, the pleasant lush landscaping, the bike paths. Are you just upset because there aren't any skyscrapers and mass transit there? Well get over it - not every place has to be "downtown". The people are generally nice, well-educated, middle-class folks who work in the numerous tech-related small companies headquartered there, they seem happy to be living there, and there's seemingly little crime and no blight in the area. Why the hate?

Anyway, if you really want "suburban waste", try Schaumburg, IL. Irvine is paradise in comparison.

[LostInTheZone]

http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/milwaukeeamtraksta72.jpg
The latter is currently being renovated:
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/nightviewcap.jpg

gah... trading one short-sighted architectural fad for another... I actually prefer the older facade, it's at least got more logical order.

[DetroitSTAR]

http://detroityes.com/downtown/52ford_aud.jpg
Photo courtesy of DetroitYes.com

It looks like...hell, I dont even know, but not like a proud riverfront structure. Ford Auditorium, only in use for 25 years or so is a big waste of space on the Detroit Riverfront at Hart Plaza. It is now slated fore demolition and an amphitheater to be put in it's place, but it never should have even been built.

Honorable mention would be Joe Louis Arena. It has no architectural qualities at all. It's widely known as "The warehouse on the river".

http://jaripatlokova.profitux.cz/images/052.jpg

[toddguy]

Lincoln Tower OSU campus:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/ugliestL.jpg

And it's ugly twin sister tower, Morrill Tower as well:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/ugliiest.jpg

I would love to see these monstrosities imploded.

[the urban politician]

Lincoln Tower OSU campus:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/ugliestL.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/ugliiest.jpg



^ :gtfo2:

Those are too ugly even for this thread. Please remove those pics immediately or this forum will self-destruct

[Steely Dan]

those OSU dorms are hideous. why are the windows so friggin small? were they trying to make the thing look like a vertical prison?

[The Chemist]

Calgary:

Harry Hays Federal Building
McKimmie Library at the University of Calgary
Calgary Board of Education building
Scotia Centre

[thenewsupastar]

The Verizon Long Lines building in lower Manhattan. Or that hideous monstrosity on the corner of 34th and Park, the giant orange building.

[wong21fr]

those OSU dorms are hideous. why are the windows so friggin small? were they trying to make the thing look like a vertical prison?

Probably to make it harder for students to ventilate their rooms after hot-boxing. Or maybe to keep depressed students from jumping.

[toddguy]

those OSU dorms are hideous. why are the windows so friggin small? were they trying to make the thing look like a vertical prison?
And they are so damn visible sticking out right along the river and by the stadium..I hate them with a passion. What is even worse is actually being inside one...I experienced Lincoln Tower(or 'house' as they so euphemistically call it now)as a warren of cubicle-like 'cells' that was utterly spirit-killing with just a quick tour. Probably worse than most Russian apartment blocks. How someone could actually live there for any length of time is beyond my comprehension.

[Coldrsx]

Edmonton:

i dont have a page long enough

[1ajs]

For Fargo, it would be the Central Post Office.

(It's the brown and white piece of dog shit across the street in the middle of the pic):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/SmileyBoy/IMG_0157.jpg

This is the kind of building that can frighten little children and pregnant mothers.

I guess "decent" brutalist modernism just skipped Fargo completely in the 60's and went directly up to Winnipeg.
DAM RIGHT! :D

the bigest monstrosity in winnipeg would have to be the public safties building and parkade (head office for the winnipeg police)... or all the surface parking lots

http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5738/psb2zz3.jpg

[hauntedheadnc]

I can't find a decent picture, it would definitely have to be I.M. Pei's Akzona Building, on the north side of Pack Square. It's a testimony to the fact that just because you're a starchitect, that doesn't necessarily mean you have the first clue what you're doing.

Combined with its decaying parking deck, the two create a block-long dead zone along College Street. On the deck side, it's chainlink and crumbling cement. On the building side it's loading docks, without even a single window below the third or fourth floor.

I'm thinking, to tell you the truth, that the reason there aren't any good pictures of building, and especially of the building and its deck together, is that they're so ugly they shatter the lenses of anyone who dares attempt capture them on film.

[DePaul Bunyan]

http://www.b12partners.net/mt/images/Sun_Times-1-tm.jpg

The new Chicago Sun-Times building. It occupies a prominent site next to the Merchandise Mart and is hideously ugly. It used to not even have any windows, but they added them in when Trump started demoing the old Sun-Times building for Trump Tower. A fake building for a fake newspaper!

[kenc]

There a number of ones I'd pick, but recently it would have to be Grand Plaza
http://www.aptselector.com/il/images/74008-1.jpg

Now I have to disagree....I really like these buildings. Why do you dislike them so much ?

[Distill3d]

Calgary:

Harry Hays Federal Building
McKimmie Library at the University of Calgary
Calgary Board of Education building
Scotia Centre


Lets add to this list shall we?

Bow Valley Square Complex (all four towers)
Castell Library (downtown)
Century Garden Apartments
Calgary Tower
Provincial Court House

[Distill3d]

Edmonton:

i dont have a page long enough


this is true, but most worthy of a nod here is West Edmonton Mall.

[Arriviste]

This is one of the worst in Calgary without question. The biggest problem I have with this building is that it doesn't even try to have any conceptual value at all. I can appreciate an ugly building that has some intrinsic artistic value or merit.

I present to you The Ford Building (Taller of the two):
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2004/08/292233.jpg

The architect gave up before he started. I'm pretty sure he just shat on a piece of grid paper, gave it his seal, and walked away without wiping his ass.

[1ajs]

thats far from ugly the old holy cross hospital is far wores then that......

[CGII]

gah... trading one short-sighted architectural fad for another... I actually prefer the older facade, it's at least got more logical order.
You obviously haven't seen it up close...or been inside it.
http://robertpence.com/milwaukee/060_amtrak_milwaukee.jpg
Looks like something out of 1984 or Mad Max.
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/milamtrakinterior72.jpg
As opposed to:
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/milwaukeeamtrak/Amtrak-interior.jpg

[Buckeye Native 001]

Are you just upset because there aren't any skyscrapers and mass transit there? Well get over it - not every place has to be "downtown". The people are generally nice, well-educated, middle-class folks who work in the numerous tech-related small companies headquartered there, they seem happy to be living there, and there's seemingly little crime and no blight in the area. Why the hate?

Well, it wasn't mean to be taken seriously, and notice how even Newport and Laguna Beach made my list.

[rgalston]

In terms of size, the most shameful monstrosity in Winnipeg is the Trizec Building (1978) at Portage and Main, an embarrisingly ugly tower with zero relationship to the famous intersection it stands at. The rest of the city block is a concrete bunker which holds a partially-submerged shopping mall. Weren't the 70's great?

Here it is as it looks from Main Street:
http://www.manitobaphotos.com/Wa/wa35.jpg

And what it replaced:
http://static.flickr.com/121/286500309_d92a5801ca_o.jpg

[SpruceMoose]

Lets add to this list shall we?

Bow Valley Square Complex (all four towers)
Castell Library (downtown)
Century Garden Apartments
Calgary Tower
Provincial Court House

Don't forget Bromley Square - the building that looks like a big lunch box in the picture (I couldn't find a better picture). A disgraceful eyesore on the Calgary skyline.

http://pictures.mls.ca/mls/reb9/highres/5/c32358651.jpg

[mdiederi]

The Aladdin in Vegas was imploded to make way for this new gigantic Aladdin. Everybody in town is taking bets on when it will be imploded again.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/Misc/vegas_10_bg_012702.jpg

Also, Rem Koolhaas built a Guggenheim Museum inside the Venetian resort. They had one show and then closed it and got rid of it, it was so bad. (But to his credit, he designed a second space there for the Hermitage and Guggenheim joint gallery and that one is still there.)

[toddguy]

In terms of size, the most shameful monstrosity in Winnipeg is the Trizec Building (1978) at Portage and Main, an embarrisingly ugly tower with zero relationship to the famous intersection it stands at. The rest of the city block is a concrete bunker which holds a partially-submerged shopping mall. Weren't the 70's great?

Here it is as it looks from Main Street:
http://www.manitobaphotos.com/Wa/wa35.jpg

And what it replaced:
http://static.flickr.com/121/286500309_d92a5801ca_o.jpg
I can understand being disappointed with it being at an important intersection and not being 'street friendly', replacing historic buildings and all..but it really does not look that terribly bad to me in and of itself. Reminds me of this thing that we have here:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/columbus_07.jpg

Winnipeg has a pretty good skyline also IMO.

[StormFire]

Now I have to disagree....I really like these buildings. Why do you dislike them so much ?

You just might be the first person on the forum to ever like these buildings. Honest. The picture actually makes them look a bit better than they look - you may really have to see them live (but pray you don't). They are just horrible. Maybe we are spoiled in Chicago. But honestly, they (counting them as one) are one of the three ugliest buildings downtown, you have to see the setting - maybe a good part is in the context. And I work in the Sun-Times building posted in #21 (I tell people I work in the ugliest building in downtown Chicago). Again, the picture ALMOST makes it look good, but it on a piece of land where the Chicago river spilts and faces one of the best buildings in Chicago (333 W. Wacker) and a lot of other great buildings. Let me tell you, the Sun-Times (or the Apparel Center) has great views, but they (people in those buildings) all have to look at us. The other building in Chicago is a set of apartments at Lake and Dearborn. Ugh.

[MolsonExport]

http://cac.mcgill.ca/cac/bland/building/pictures/full/46-101.jpg

Place Bonaventure. Once the second largest commercial building in the world (second only to Chicago's Merchandise Mart)

[MilwaukeeMark]

http://cac.mcgill.ca/cac/bland/building/pictures/full/46-101.jpg

Place Bonaventure. Once the second largest commercial building in the world (second only to Chicago's Merchandise Mart)

Oh.my.GOD.

:wah:

[1ajs]

I can understand being disappointed with it being at an important intersection and not being 'street friendly', replacing historic buildings and all..but it really does not look that terribly bad to me in and of itself. Reminds me of this thing that we have here:

Winnipeg has a pretty good skyline also IMO.

heres another angle of the trizac building.... origly it was supost to have a twin witch is why its got that concreat mess beside it but in winnipeg fashion it was cut back :P

http://static.flickr.com/116/278724784_6a36da314b_o.jpg

[Distill3d]

http://cac.mcgill.ca/cac/bland/building/pictures/full/46-101.jpg

Place Bonaventure. Once the second largest commercial building in the world (second only to Chicago's Merchandise Mart)


THEY BUILT THAT? you cannot be serious!?! omg.. :yuck: :yuck:

[1ajs]

THEY BUILT THAT? you cannot be serious!?! omg.. :yuck: :yuck:
thats not to bad if only they cleaned it and umm aded some more windows to it...

[Dalton]

Well, it wasn't mean to be taken seriously, and notice how even Newport and Laguna Beach made my list.

OK, gotcha. But it wasn't the first time I've seen derogatory comments about Irvine and the surrounding area and I was just wondering what I missed when I spent time there. The company I work for is based in Irvine (I live in Chicago) so I have spent many weeks there for training sessions and meetings. I especially like the close proximity of the Santa Anna airport and the fact that the jets don't actually seem to fly over Irvine - no noise. Seems like a very nice place to live, if you can afford the housing costs. (However, I do have to admit that the stereotypical So. California traffic jams on the freeways are NOT exagerated and the area could use some mass transit solutions.)

[Mister F]

Toronto: 77 Elm, AKA the nightmare on Elm St. The grey building in the middle of the photo.

http://www.transithub.net/ttc/ttc6280.jpg

It looks kind of like Place Bonaventure in Montreal, only with more random stuff sticking out of it.

[NEWNANGuy]

gah... trading one short-sighted architectural fad for another... I actually prefer the older facade, it's at least got more logical order.

i completely agree. this new type or achitecture will be bashed in 30 years time as well. i prefer the current old facade myself. it just needs to be fixed up, repainted, etc. im just not one for the weird angles and the 'shards of glass' look in buildings.

edit* but i will add, that the inside willbe much nicer with the natural sunlight from the new design. so who knows.

[VivaLFuego]

Now I have to disagree....I really like these buildings. Why do you dislike them so much ?
Rather than going all out brutalist-slab-of-concrete (think: nearby Millenium Centre), it goes soft on you. those penthouses on top. those spires. It's the worst kind of PoMo imaginable.

[Arriviste]

http://cac.mcgill.ca/cac/bland/building/pictures/full/46-101.jpg

Place Bonaventure. Once the second largest commercial building in the world (second only to Chicago's Merchandise Mart)

I have to disagree. This is a pretty amazing structure. Perhaps it isn't good looking at all, but it is a significant building for it's architecture, and the the underlying concept.

[Urbaname]

thats not to bad if only they cleaned it and umm aded some more windows to it...

In fact they did a few years ago. I don't have a recent pic of it. Somebody will surely post one...

[entheosfog]

On a bit of a lesser scale, this apartment in Calgary's inner-city has a probably the worst view ever and the building looks like it's turned sideways. On the right, out of the picture, a low-rise office building is situated right up against the building.

I've always felt sorry for whoever lives here.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/entheos_fog/120610416_8f25f3e719.jpg

[kznyc2k]

Let's see someone beat THIS!

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4194/aerialespqg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sirus]

/\ Can do!!

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/cedar_riverside.jpg

There's honestly buildings I hate more than this complex though.

[Arriviste]

/\ Oh god. That must have been the architects equivalent of a suicide note.
Poor poor Minni

[Distill3d]

Let's see someone beat THIS!

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4194/aerialespqg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


trade you Nexen and The Calgary Tower for that.
:haha: :haha:

[Arriviste]

/\ Nexen is beautiful.
The Calgary tower is a beast I agree.

[Dalreg]

Saskatoons best example. Sturdy Stone Centre. There is parking above the ground floor 3-4 levels. Then offices above.

http://www.westerntour.com/Saskatoon/Stmodbld.jpg

[seaskyfan]

/\ Can do!!

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/cedar_riverside.jpg

There's honestly buildings I hate more than this complex though.

Is that where Mary Tyler Moore's second apartment was in the show?

[vid]

I like those building in mpls. They're soooo ugly, that they look great. :)

And whats even better, there seems to be a dozen of them! :D

[kznyc2k]

trade you Nexen and The Calgary Tower for that.
:haha: :haha:

Haha, assuming they don't take up some 50 odd acres like the ESP does then we have a deal!

[Patrick]

I like those building in mpls. They're soooo ugly, that they look great. :)

And whats even better, there seems to be a dozen of them! :D

I actually agree! :)

[JManc]

hey, i like empire center.

wanna see ugly? how 'bout this monstrosity smiling at you everyday as you commute into town?

http://www.pbase.com/mancusoj/image/24485229.jpg
mercer tower 1

a twin is supposed to be built eventually.

[SpruceMoose]

hey, i like empire center.

wanna see ugly? how 'bout this monstrosity smiling at you everyday as you commute into town?

http://www.pbase.com/mancusoj/image/24485229.jpg
mercer tower 1

a twin is supposed to be built eventually.

Wow, what a shit box! - how old is this building?

[toddguy]

Let's see someone beat THIS!

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4194/aerialespqg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Why Why Why???? For the love of God why?:yuck: :yuck: :yuck: :(

[LyndaleHoosier]

You are right about the Minneapolis complex...Mary Tyler Moore did live there!! It was built as a mixed development and then tended to become more geared toward lower income people and now is a huge mecca for immigrants.

On a side note...the architect behind the complex is Ralph Rapson, who is still alive today (age 92 and still practicing), is the chair of the Architecture Department at University of Minnesota and has the Architecture school named for him. ;)

He did design the original Guthrie Theatre:
http://collections.mnhs.org/VisualResources/VRDBImages/pf014/pf014352.jpg
Which is being torn down soon to expand the sculpture gardens...

[kenc]

Wow, what a shit box! - how old is this building?

Believe it or not the Mercer is new, and they plan on building a twin. It's in Houston.

[vid]

The old Guthrie Theatre didn't look too bad. The new one is beautiful though.

[CGII]

Brutalism will always have a special place in my heart.

[Alxx611]

Plaza Tower-New Orleans:

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/1825/375426769sx.jpg

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/1372/neworleansskyline3edit7ym.jpg

It was designed by a student of Frank Loyd Wright's, which makes everyone think its cool. I absolutely loathe that building and think it looks like an ugly air traffic control tower. Luckily for me, it will soon be completely stripped to the bare steel frame and remodeled into condos. The new design looks much better than its current form :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/Crescent_City_Residences.jpg

And in Mobile, Government Plaza:

I actually like it, but most Mobilians don't.

http://www.batchelorsmech.com/BatchelorsMech/portal_skins/custom/images/govt_plaza.jpg

http://www.siteone.com/towns/mobilecounty/publicworks/images/govtplaza1.JPG

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/Alxx611/downtown/98109849_8e04dee36b_o.jpg

http://law-linc.com/images/mobile_al.jpg

[JManc]

i am the one who actually took that first shot of that thing in NOLA from the freeway because i was memorized how new orleans could construct such an ugly ass building.

that civic center in mobile is pretty cool.

[vid]

I love that civic centre in Mobile. One of the best buildings out of Alabama. It kinda reminds me of an aligator, or some other kinda of reptile.

[WonderlandPark]

I also like those Mpls towers, so bad they are good in a way.

The Mercer is horrid. Nothing redeeming there.

[Patrick]

I actually like the Plaza Tower, its so unique. Although the new design isnt so bad.

[Exodus]

Plaza Tower-New Orleans:

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/1825/375426769sx.jpg

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/1372/neworleansskyline3edit7ym.jpg

It was designed by a student of Frank Loyd Wright's, which makes everyone think its cool. I absolutely loathe that building and think it looks like an ugly air traffic control tower. Luckily for me, it will soon be completely stripped to the bare steel frame and remodeled into condos. The new design looks much better than its current form :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/Crescent_City_Residences.jpg

And in Mobile, Government Plaza:

I actually like it, but most Mobilians don't.

http://www.batchelorsmech.com/BatchelorsMech/portal_skins/custom/images/govt_plaza.jpg

http://www.siteone.com/towns/mobilecounty/publicworks/images/govtplaza1.JPG

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/Alxx611/downtown/98109849_8e04dee36b_o.jpg

http://law-linc.com/images/mobile_al.jpgAt first I didn't know what to think about that building in Mobile, but it grew on me.

[Exodus]

One of the worse looking buildings in Detroit is the former I.R.S. building that MGM Casino is operating in now. They did some renovations, but it still sucks.
Once MGM moves into its permanent facility, they need to rip that crap down.

[Exodus]

Saskatoons best example. Sturdy Stone Centre. There is parking above the ground floor 3-4 levels. Then offices above.

http://www.westerntour.com/Saskatoon/Stmodbld.jpgThat doesn't look bad imo.

[BnaBreaker]

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4194/aerialespqg1.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/cedar_riverside.jpg

I actually really like both of these in a weird way. lol

[BnaBreaker]

For Nashville i'd have to say the ugliest is Parkway Towers

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2006/05/455191.jpg

[boden]

Here is a real charmer in nearby Kingston, Ontario.
http://www.pbase.com/gaffer/image/58353315/original.jpg

[CGII]

Now THAT^ kind of Brutalism will always have a place in my toilet.

[rockyi]

Quad City monstrosities, huh?
Where do I begin....they all have to do with gambling.

This pile of plastic and neon crap is on Davenports riverfront. (with much more to come)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/rockyi/013_12A.jpg

Isle of Capri hotel and casino on Bettendorfs riverfront. (with much more to come)
http://www.isleofcapricasino.com/Bettendorf/graphics/bt_hotel.jpg

"Looky maw, we'ez in downtown Bavaria!!"
Future ugliness in Rock Island. (Casino Rock Island plans now being built...*gag*)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v353/Dodger6500/blog/jumercomplex1.jpg

Honorable mention: The Lodge Hotel off of I-74 in Bettendorf (I couldn't find a decent picture to capture it's true ugliness.

...I WIN!!!!!

[jpIllInoIs]

hey, i like empire center.

wanna see ugly? how 'bout this monstrosity smiling at you everyday as you commute into town?

http://www.pbase.com/mancusoj/image/24485229.jpg
mercer tower 1

a twin is supposed to be built eventually.

That image is now forever burned into my retina and I am dumber for even having looked at it.

[vid]

Now THAT^ kind of Brutalism will always have a place in my toilet.

Not only is Princess Towers (that's its name) a piece of shit, it also has a cockroach problem! :D

Whee! :fruit:

[alexjon]

Too lazy to get pictures, but in San Antonio, it has to be that white and orange abandoned building by the greyhound station

In Portland, PacWest center

[Midwesterner]

I actually really like both of these in a weird way. lol
Yeah, I am just fascinated with the Empire State Plaza. It's just the size and scale is completely mind boggling. I know this sounds like the stereotypical SSP geek, but I really want to see this complex in person.

For Indianapolis, it's the City-County Building:

http://www.pbase.com/mcc2000/image/39978731.jpg

It's your typical 60's modernist building, but it resulted in the demolition of this:

http://www.helloindianapolis.com/indianapolis/images/Marion%20County%20Court%20House%201907.jpg

Even worse, is the plot of land where the old courthouse was located was demolished for a small park that is hardly used.

[Wheelingman04]

^ That is ashame for Indianapolis.

[vid]

Minneapolis has lost a lot of gems to the 60s and 70s destroy-everything-and-replace-it-with-shit craze, too. :(

[Edgewater]

While the old Ameritrust building the county bought in Cleveland is bad (and there are those out there trying to save it), the only other ugly building, IMO, is the Courts Tower of the Justice Center.

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/justicectr.jpg

[jgibson4]

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r25/jgibson4/uglybuilding_edited.jpg

Im not sure what the name is, but this thing in Columbus is really freakin ugly.

[Pedro Navaja]

hey, i like empire center.

wanna see ugly? how 'bout this monstrosity smiling at you everyday as you commute into town?

http://www.pbase.com/mancusoj/image/24485229.jpg
mercer tower 1

a twin is supposed to be built eventually.

Having ugly structures can add variety to a skyline.. but this is just a piece of crap. The person who "designed" this turd must be dead on the inside.

[LMich]

In Lansing, MI, the most prominent in the old Michigan Bell Building downtown switching station and offices built in the 60's:

http://static.flickr.com/92/222295614_6fecaefd1c_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/64/222295615_4782ff9422_o.jpg

It's actually an expansion of the historic downtown switching station and offices:

http://static.flickr.com/50/156050773_567288593a_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/42/77304402_90a2de7c94_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/37/77308152_7d1b75c9e1_o.jpg

Modern telephone building switching stations are routinely the ugliest structures in any city.

[Cleveland Brown]

While the old Ameritrust building the county bought in Cleveland is bad (and there are those out there trying to save it), the only other ugly building, IMO, is the Courts Tower of the Justice Center.

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/justicectr.jpg

Tell me about it! Not only are the entrances located in wind tunnels, but the building stinks on every floor (stale air, BO with a hint of rotting eggs). Plus, the interior is like walking in a dingy 1970s nightmere.

[gradvmedusa]

The Verizon building on 10th avenue in the 50's it's TERRIBLE!

[initiald]

I came across this gem in Wilmington, NC
http://ct.pbase.com/g6/09/580409/3/68782910.2F5LJGOs.jpg

[Distill3d]

In Lansing, MI, the most prominent in the old Michigan Bell Building downtown switching station and offices built in the 60's:
http://static.flickr.com/37/77308152_7d1b75c9e1_o.jpg

Modern telephone building switching stations are routinely the ugliest structures in any city.

i don't know. i kinda like it a bit. it has that look like it should be converted into overpriced loft apartments.

[alps]

This building is hated by many in Halifax, but I sort of like it:

http://static.flickr.com/108/284579766_180606750b_o.jpg

[Straight_Six]

Since place Bonaventure has already been mentioned i'll nominate this strange thing

Habitat 67
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2424/expohabitatstructurebk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[rockyi]

^But I love Habitat 67. I actually remember when this was new, as a child I saw a photo of it in Life magazine and thought it was the coolest building ever.

[Straight_Six]

Habitat 67 is interesting as a concept but it's dam ugly to look at

[rockyi]

Well I guess I have only seen it in photos, I might think differently if I saw it in person :)

[Derek]

in san diego it would DEFINITLY be the "park row" housing development completed in 1983...its a housing complex consisting of 222 units and its only 2 stories!!!! it may look good somewhere in the sprawly areas not smack dab in the middle of downtown...these things need to be bulldozed like right now...
http://www.92101realestate.com/pics/parkrow-lg.jpg

[Matrix]

The monstrosity of Montreal is the Court House :

http://static.flickr.com/118/291565903_1101318285_m.jpg

Place Bonaventure goes to the second or third place....

[dave8721]

I'd go with the Club at Brickell Bay for Miami. Its a 42-story condo with a huge monstrous exposed parking garage and virtually no street interaction built right in one of Miami's denses areas. Plus it has that racing stripe.

http://www.kafka-franz.com/images/club_at_brickell_bay_condo_in_Miami_florida.jpg

Check out that parking garage:
http://www.brickell-condos.net/brickell-real-estate/Brickell-TheClub.JPG

http://www.resionline.com/megatemplate/mlsimages/miamimls/M1063734.jpg

[Arriviste]

Since place Bonaventure has already been mentioned i'll nominate this strange thing

Habitat 67
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2424/expohabitatstructurebk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


wow, are you out too lunch. This thing is a 20th century icon. Moshi safdie became internationally renowned due to the principals he excercised in Habitat. It is one of the most important and fantastic structures in NA. And it's gorgous.

[vid]

I love Habitat, but I do like brutalism. I think Place Bonaventure is an amazing building, but I can understand why so many don't like it.

There is a library in Toronto shaped like a turkey, anyone got a picture of that?

[Rambam]

One building that has always blown me away with its pure nastiness is the provincial courthouse in London, Ontario
http://www.jmclawyers.ca/images/jmc-courthouse.gif

http://www.scholarsresource.com/images/thumbnails/192/a/aca0763.jpg