The Ugly Canada Thread - Page 62

SignalHillHiker · #**1221** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 12:45 AM**

Not sure if this is visually as ugly in a picture as it is in life.

A lot of St. John's is too steep for buildings on both sides of the street. So you just have buildings on the downhill side, and a retaining wall on the uphill side.

It might not look awful, but in terms of urban effect it is as destructive as a surface parking lot.

March 9, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

lio45 · #**1222** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 12:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Damn, more unique cheese lost to the likes of the wretched Whoretons-BK-Mr.Sub combo restaurants.

It's a McDonald's now. But Acajack is correct, they did keep the dinosaurs.

Architype · #**1223** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 12:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthew6

[QUOTE =MolsonExport;6945191]These are a dime-a-dozen in London. As are newer versions of this format.

...
They have to be stopped before the entire landscape is:

[IMG]

Sorry for the naive question - I have no architecture background, but what's up with all the triangles? And why are they 'detached' from the main facade of the building in such an exaggerated way? It just looks so awkward. I find that even the most plain early twentieth century row houses look better than this.

The ugliness is not really the fault of the triangles, it's the fault of everything else here, the windows, the doors, the materials, you name it. The triangle is probably the most iconic shape in architecture, originating with its earliest forms.

FrAnKs · #**1224** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 12:58 AM**

^ I think the clapboard is really cheaping it.

FrAnKs · #**1225** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 1:03 AM**

Speaking of triangles.. have a look on this treasure :

O-tacular · #**1226** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 1:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Not sure if this is visually as ugly in a picture as it is in life.

A lot of St. John's is too steep for buildings on both sides of the street. So you just have buildings on the downhill side, and a retaining wall on the uphill side.

It might not look awful, but in terms of urban effect it is as destructive as a surface parking lot.

March 9, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

I actually find that interesting, reminds me of Quebec City. And there's a mural too.

someone123 · #**1227** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 4:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

We have quite a bit of the first two in suburban Halifax in what I refer to as the "pine tree suburbs" as for some reason the landscaping is always very forest-looking. The colours and building materials seem to be trying to evoke a feeling of wilderness like a forest cabin, hunting lodge. They're not attractive but I strongly prefer it over many suburban looks such as faux-European.

I've always disliked these brown, alpine-themed 1970's developments. I wish developers would borrow from local housing styles and put in appropriate local rather than subarctic landscaping.

The_Architect · #**1228** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 4:50 PM**

The tower isn't ugly itself but its current treatment is enough to land it in this thread:

Source.

The tower was originally part of the former Toronto Fire Hall No. 3, built in 1870, and then turned into the St. Charles Tavern (a famous gay bar that isn't there anymore). It was then renovated into... this. Toronto actually has a couple more old fire halls still around with a tower (one in Yorkville and one on College Street).

The original:

Source.

It's actually part of a planned development now which will at least feature the tower better than it currently is. Right now it sticks out like a sore thumb on Yonge Street, seemingly randomly placed and tacked on.

north 42 · #**1229** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 6:29 PM**

^^^
Ha ha, the St. Charles Tavern, I went there a few times when I lived in Torronto in the early 80s, wasn't really my scene though. That facade is so hideous!

O-tacular · #**1230** Posted **Mar 11, 2015, 6:30 PM**

How bizarre. I really don't get people that are so oblivious to anything visually appealing that they do things like that. The blank concrete wall on the tower behind it is a nice finishing touch.

The_Architect · #**1231** Posted **Mar 12, 2015, 1:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

How bizarre. I really don't get people that are so oblivious to anything visually appealing that they do things like that. The blank concrete wall on the tower behind it is a nice finishing touch.

Ha, that's the old Office of the Chief Coroner, where the soldiers ended up at the end of the Highway of Heroes. They moved to a new facility though so I'm not sure what occupies it now.

O-tacular · #**1232** Posted **Mar 14, 2015, 4:00 AM**

I hesitate to post this here because I usually like Jeremy Sturgess' work, but this thing needs to be killed with fire! The context is especially bad as it is at the entrance to Calgary's eclectic and more historic Kensington area. Wtf were they thinking?!? It's like a destroyed radiator as envisioned by someone with Parkinson's drawing on an etch a sketch. Thankfully the city turned down their application to increase the height from 8 to 10 floors. Hopefully it leads to a redesign. The saga leading up to this is quite ridiculous too. The land owners run a restaurant called Osteria on site currently. Their son Michael Terrigno was accused of uttering threats to several opponents including a city planner and a couple local residents. Supposedly he is a lawyer but I highly encourage you to look at his twitter account and have your mind blown. How anyone who grew up in Canada and supposedly passed the bar could be capable of such terrible grammar is mystifying. Here is one example:

http://stackoverflow.com/users/2555592/michael-terrigno

Articles on the incidents leading up to the decision.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news...n-weeks-after-alleged-threats-at-hearing

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/planning-meeting-incidents-spark-police-investigation

O-tacular · #**1233** Posted **Mar 14, 2015, 4:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Architect

Ha, that's the old Office of the Chief Coroner, where the soldiers ended up at the end of the Highway of Heroes. They moved to a new facility though so I'm not sure what occupies it now.

Suiting that it would be a morgue.

O-tacular · #**1234** Posted **Mar 18, 2015, 4:28 AM**

The craptastic Harry Hays building in Calgary:

SkahHigh · #**1235** Posted **Mar 18, 2015, 4:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

The craptastic Harry Hays building in Calgary:

A bunch of federal buildings are ugly it seems. A lot of people hate the Guy-Favreau Complex in Montreal. I personally don't mind it that much.

http://www.imtl.org/image/big/DSCN3134.jpg

SkahHigh · #**1236** Posted **Mar 18, 2015, 4:55 AM**

Le Chatel, pratically the only non-concrete tower in the Concordia area and still ugly.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...l_06.JPG/768px-Le_Chatel_Montreal_06.JPG

Rico Rommheim · #**1237** Posted **Mar 18, 2015, 11:44 AM**

People hate the Guy-Favreau complex for many reasons. For me it's simple,

1) Half of the chinatown district was torn down for this massive low-rise complex.
2) It's a low-rise complex with huge set-backs, in the middle of downtown Montreal. It should have been placed in like St-John's, or Halifax.

As for the Chatel, there's no excuse for this monstrosity. I hate it most from a distance. Especially when seen from Maisonneuve O. where it forms a terminated vista. It's just awful. I dream of the day when this building is torn down and a nice sleek mixed-use 150m tower is built instead.