The Ugly Canada Thread

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by esquire

Anyone nominated these suckers that infest downmarket strip malls and commercial districts across the country?



Source: Winnipeg Sun

Money Mart on Winnipeg's once thriving, now sad-looking Selkirk Avenue in the North End.

Loansharking (i.e., cheque-cashing/payday loans) establishments are perhaps the ugliest of ugly commercial establishments in Canadian cities. First among Uglies.

Along with my intense dislike of the CIBC logo, I always hated the old "Dominion" Supermarket "D". It never looked like a "D" to me...I have to convince my brain to look at it a different way. It looks like a lower-case "a" munching on a maple leaf.


gmkfreelogs.com

Same thing about the old Bay Logo. It just doesn't look like a "B".

[niwell]

When I was in Hamilton the other weekend I noticed they still have a lot of the older style Tim Horton's, complete with the yellow sign at the edge of the lot. While still ugly as sin, I actually like them a bit more than the over-stylized garbage being built now. The Tim's museum in Hamilton is pretty hideous btw. Not that I would ever go in there.




www.cottagelife.com

[esquire]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Along with my intense dislike of the CIBC logo, I always hated the old "Dominion" Supermarket "D". It never looked like a "D" to me...I have to convince my brain to look at it a different way. It looks like a lower-case "a" munching on a maple leaf.


gmkfreelogs.com

Same thing about the old Bay Logo. It just doesn't look like a "B".

I kind of like the Dominion logo... it's classic postwar Canada graphic design. Actually holds up quite well.

Also, I'm not crazy about the current CIBC logo either, with its generic swoopy-swoop... I much preferred the classic old design:


Source: CIBC

Used from 1966-1986. It was applied nicely by architects... I thought it looked great at the top of Tour CIBC in Montreal, and the Richardson Building in Winnipeg used to have a large sculptural sign sporting that logo right at Portage and Main.

[Daveography]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Them and the stupid Kangaroo mascot one (Cash Money?).

I always like to try to deconstruct the process by which a company comes up with their trade name.

Suit #1: "We give payday loans. What do you think about when you think about payday loans?"

*lingering silence*

Suit #2: "...m...money?"

Suit #1: "Excellent!" *writes "Money" down on whiteboard*

Suit #3: "Okay, but what about money do people like about payday loans? We need something more. What KIND of money do people like?"

*lingering silence*

Suit #4: "...cash?"

*awed silence and sage nodding*

Suit #1: *slowly writes "Cash" after "Money" on whiteboard*

*everyone stares at the whiteboard*

Suit #3: "...Money...Cash..."

*more silence*

Suit #1: "Gentlemen, I think we have it." *reaches for the champagne*

Suit #2: "Wait. No. We've been looking at this all wrong." *goes to whiteboard, erases "Money" and rewrites it after "Cash", steps back and stares*

Suit #1: "Cash Money. That's it! That's...brilliant!" *pops champagne cork*

*cheers all around*

[O-tacular]

I always found Vancouver's tower/high rise hideous. There's also one in Quebec City I think.



To be fair though, I find most towers to be ugly with the exception of the CN tower and maybe one in Munich and Aukland.

The Calgary tower is quite phallic looking and I wish they would decorate the shaft somehow. At least the future offices they plan on building as it's balls will do a bit to hide it.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Daveography

I always like to try to deconstruct the process by which a company comes up with their trade name.

Suit #1: "We give payday loans. What do you think about when you think about payday loans?"

*lingering silence*

Suit #2: "...m...money?"

Suit #1: "Excellent!" *writes "Money" down on whiteboard*

Suit #3: "Okay, but what about money do people like about payday loans? We need something more. What KIND of money do people like?"

*lingering silence*

Suit #4: "...cash?"

*awed silence and sage nodding*

Suit #1: *slowly writes "Cash" after "Money" on whiteboard*

*everyone stares at the whiteboard*

Suit #3: "...Money...Cash..."

*more silence*

Suit #1: "Gentlemen, I think we have it." *reaches for the champagne*

Suit #2: "Wait. No. We've been looking at this all wrong." *goes to whiteboard, erases "Money" and rewrites it after "Cash", steps back and stares*

Suit #1: "Cash Money. That's it! That's...brilliant!" *pops champagne cork*

*cheers all around*

And what led to the Kangaroo mascot and the song? Isn't there also one with a giant caterpillar (money tree)?

[Daveography]

^ That happens after the first round of champagne, when they snort a mountain of coke off a hooker.

The hooker gives them the mascot ideas.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Daveography

^ That happens after the first round of champagne, when they snort a mountain of coke off a hooker.

The hooker gives them the mascot ideas.

Lol!!!

[LeTravailleur]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Here's one I posted to diffuse a standoff in the Canadian Skyline thread of your favourite evil overlord's castle MolsonExport.

Originally Posted by MTLskyline

^ Pretty much everything in that picture is a horror.

Buildings not aligned with the street, low-density residential from the 1980s and 90s, light commercial, swaths of undeveloped areas, an out of scale seniors home with the tackiest architecture imagineable, and a sea of parking lots. I can't even stand looking at it...

The density in that neighborhood is pretty decent for a suburb. Laval-des-Rapides has about 5000 ppl/km^2... A bit south from there are empty lots that should become a little "downtown" in about 6-7 years.

Every undeveloped lots in the picture has a great potential in my opinion (including parking lots). If they aren't used to build 3-4 other clock towers, it will be an improvement.

I think the little wood at the left had a proposal for two 20-floors, but I haven't heard about it again (note that it is technically not in LdR, but in Chomedey).

Originally Posted by TownGuy

^ I like how that one boulevard just ends at a field like it really needed to be 6 lanes up until that point.

Here you have your answer :


It is known that the city wants to complete it. Some citizens are against the project because this is like the last natural wood in LDR... and they don't want it to be cut by a boulevard (but personnally I think they should finish it).

And the Résidences Soleil... Well, I can't say much... Oh well, rejoice yourselves, it is visible from like 8-10 km away in some specific places (even if the building itself is not THAT tall, something like 80 m).

Look closely! And don't forget it's looking back.
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.557277,-7...1!3m2!1s3akU1S8mR9QL9s_2dxt5xw!2e0?hl=fr
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.628369,-7...1!3m2!1sA3m2dFVqWgo0RNOtNAFvwg!2e0?hl=fr
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.627059,-7...uXzk5o6P7Rew!2e0!5s20121001T000000?hl=fr
Good night...

[Ashok]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

I always found Vancouver's tower/high rise hideous. There's also one in Quebec City I think.



To be fair though, I find most towers to be ugly with the exception of the CN tower and maybe one in Munich and Aukland.

The Calgary tower is quite phallic looking and I wish they would decorate the shaft somehow. At least the future offices they plan on building as it's balls will do a bit to hide it.

Yeah, it looks two seperate, hideous, designs were proposed and the owner went, why not both!

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by LeTravailleur

The density in that neighborhood is pretty decent for a suburb. Laval-des-Rapides has about 5000 ppl/km^2... A bit south from there are empty lots that should become a little "downtown" in about 6-7 years.

Every undeveloped lots in the picture has a great potential in my opinion (including parking lots). If they aren't used to build 3-4 other clock towers, it will be an improvement.

I think the little wood at the left had a proposal for two 20-floors, but I haven't heard about it again (note that it is technically not in LdR, but in Chomedey).

By all means, finish that boulevard asap. As for the bulk of the green space in that photo, It should be left the fuck alone, laval will only turn it into more parking lots, buildings built off-angle to the roads and hideous retail. Turn those into nice public parks / woods / nature preserves, and turn that god-awful built-up area into dense mid-rise neighbourhoods. Simple, uncomplicated urbanism, but this Laval, that's too much to ask for.


As for Scotia tower being mentioned in this thread, I still don't get it. ShahHigh, what is wrong with it, in your view?

[LeTravailleur]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

By all means, finish that boulevard asap. As for the bulk of the green space in that photo, It should be left the fuck alone, laval will only turn it into more parking lots, buildings built off-angle to the roads and hideous retail. Turn those into nice public parks / woods / nature preserves, and turn that god-awful built-up area into dense mid-rise neighbourhoods. Simple, uncomplicated urbanism, but this Laval, that's too much to ask for.

Exactly what I think. But IMO the wood is big enough to have some highrises (on Trait-Carré or Saint-Martin, or both) AND a natural park with nice paths.
Because there are literally no park in "downtown Laval" (except Armand-Frappier to a certain extent), I think development should focus on mixed-use highrises/midrises and parks. We have plenty of other stuff already... including parking. -_-

In 2015 Laval will reveal its plans for the next 20 years.
I can't wait for it because I seriously think it will be a wind of change for Laval.
Finally some people at the city hall understand how to build a city!
And if that means less of this :

(those buildings are part of that shit at the left of the clocktower, on the previous picture)

and more of this :

That would be cool.


(images from Street View)

[SkahHigh]

Rico, I find the mechanical roof portion with no windows way too big for the tower and the pink-ish glass is kinda tacky... Just my opinion, I understand why some might like it though.

[Rico Rommheim]

Considering Scotia Bank's minimal presence in the City and Province, I wonder how they ended up with such a big tower. I wonder how much space rgey really use in there. I'd be surprised if they were really the main tenant.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by lio45

Count me in as another vote for Scotia Tower.

I'm also a fan of the little cousin of the capitale's Édifice 'G' (actual name Marie-Guyart IIRC) visible in that pic. I like that style

I like it to. It reminds me of older Tokyo buildings.

[TorontoDrew]

I just saw this thing on viewit.ca where the building was being described as " a Prestigious building" . LOLOLOLOL.

Hands down the ugliest building in the city to me. It's an old rundown commie block on top of a sub-par ugly 1960's office building on top of a hideous strip plaza. Come on people try and beat this thing.

from Blog.to
Bloor Dundas Square


This thing is a close runner up.
St. Clair Place (Bathurst & Vaughan)

[O-tacular]

Early mixed use?

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Early mixed use?

But it's not supposed to look like it was just excavated by archaeologists.

I'm half expecting terracotta soldiers inside.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I just saw this thing on viewit.ca where the building was being described as " a Prestigious building" . LOLOLOLOL.

Hands down the ugliest building in the city to me. It's an old rundown commie block on top of a sub-par ugly 1960's office building on top of a hideous strip plaza. Come on people try and beat this thing.

from Blog.to
Bloor Dundas Square

The great thing about this intersection is that the other three corners are all nearly as hideous. It's possibly the worst corner in the city in terms of large-scaled architectural hostility.

What makes it interesting is that it's really a crossroads in between neighbourhoods--go east, west, north or south from here and within a couple of blocks you're in classically leafy neighbourhoods full of well-kept main streets and attractive houses. (Well, except for Bloordale, but it's better than this.)

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Early mixed use?

This mixed use would have been built around the same time. Much better.

from: emporis.com