The Ugly Canada Thread

[lio45]

Reminds me of kool maudit mentioning one of his past gfs expressing how fed up she was with something: "là là tabarnak là..." (has of course to be spoken with the proper intonation; I'm sure you can hear it somewhat "sung" in your head, it can't be said in a monotonous voice.)

Three words out of four in the sentence are the same word. And the remaining one is just a swear word. Yet it conveys everything it needs to

[TorontoDrew]

This is now the ugliest building for me in the core. 550 Front street west. It has zero architectural value. A massive stucco eyesore that can't be hidden behind anything.

Posted on: web.mediatours.ca

[esquire]

^ I agree, it's ugly. But at least it has decent built form with nice storefronts at street level. Not pretty but OK filler.

[O-tacular]

I like how they cheaped out so much that the entire thing is exactly the same. No accent material. No second colour. All beige stucco. Beige stucco and vinyl siding should be banned.

Reminds me of this though I would almost give ours an edge for at least having a secondary colour.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I agree, it's ugly. But at least it has decent built form with nice storefronts at street level. Not pretty but OK filler.

I was going to say that I've probably walked / biked by that building dozens of times and never really noticed how ugly it is. At street level it's pretty nondescript but functional. None of the retail spaces are interesting but that's more of a reflection of the area than the building.

Don't get me started on that piece of garbage in Marda Loop! It wouldn't be as bad if it weren't for the somewhat prominent location but the faux stone columns and recessed retail look incredibly awkward. The over-height podium levels are jarring too. The one plus is that it has one of Calgary's best local coffee chains in the base. Phil and Sebastien for those wondering - some high end Toronto places like Bar Raval are using their beans now.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I agree, it's ugly. But at least it has decent built form with nice storefronts at street level. Not pretty but OK filler.

My friend owns a coffee shop in there (Atlas). I would agree with you about the store fronts if the street level didn't have such a low ceiling height. They feel like an after thought. I'm not a fan of buildings that don't do extra height ground floors, they always end up feeling like cramped spaces with little potential. Most new builds seem to get this but so many buildings that went up in the 90's and 00's had these short ground floors.

Didn't this building used to be brown?

[Echoes]

^ I might give the edge to the one in TO because of the building stepback above the main floor.

I've seen the Calgary one in person and it goes straight up from the street with no relief. Especially given the scale of the street it's on, it's overwhelming. I understand that scale is changing though with further redevelopment.

[TorontoDrew]

Lol I love this thread. Arguing over which is uglier.

[MolsonExport]

You like setbacks? Take a gander at this beauty:

blogto

and the Pièce de résistance:

blogto

[MolsonExport]

Montreal Represent!

relianceconstruction

Extremely ugly bastardization of hockey's greatest shrine.

Not softened at all by this shot incorporating Chaddish foreground foliage:

taylornoakes

Avis: We're number 2 in ugliness. So we try harder.

[Rico Rommheim]

The Forum's disgraceful 1968 expansion, along with its obsolescence in the 90's should qualify it for demolition. I know it hurts to hear if you're one of the many who consider this building to be a permanent hockey shrine, but I don't see it that way.

Either demolish entirely and use the site for maximum residential, retail and entertainment value OR an altruistic/philanthropist should pay for a complete refurbishment to give it it's original 1920's look.

Sadly, neither option is viable or plausible anytime soon. So we're stuck with this "temple".

As for the AVIS garage, ugliest building downtown right next to one of the country's greatest skyscrapers. That is all.

[Rico Rommheim]

1924 Montreal Forum:

http://2.cdn.nhle.com/canadiens/images/upload/2012/11/10_Forum_ouverture.jpg

1949 expansion:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siBulawy36Q/TZ...yJFeArS35M/s320/Montreal_Forum_1950s.png

After the 68 reno:



Now:


I think that the latest renovation is perhaps the most offensive. Once the habs vacated, they had a chance to do anything they wanted with the building. They could of wrapped it in glass, or puncture windows or bring back some noble elements to it. Instead they puked on it.

If there's a prominent building in this country that has been mutilated as much as the forum I'd like to hear it.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by niwell

I was going to say that I've probably walked / biked by that building dozens of times and never really noticed how ugly it is. At street level it's pretty nondescript but functional. None of the retail spaces are interesting but that's more of a reflection of the area than the building.

Don't get me started on that piece of garbage in Marda Loop! It wouldn't be as bad if it weren't for the somewhat prominent location but the faux stone columns and recessed retail look incredibly awkward. The over-height podium levels are jarring too. The one plus is that it has one of Calgary's best local coffee chains in the base. Phil and Sebastien for those wondering - some high end Toronto places like Bar Raval are using their beans now.

The faux second floor is not something you see too often in Toronto. Yep , hideous building. The townhouses are schlocky but, a million times better than the tower

More colour? No thanks.

see here

[WhipperSnapper]

[QUOTE=MolsonExport;7536292]You like setbacks? Take a gander at this beauty:

blogto

I don't think it was meant to be a beauty. It certainly doesn't belong in this thread. The ugly part is the stupid sample wall.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I think that the latest renovation is perhaps the most offensive. Once the habs vacated, they had a chance to do anything they wanted with the building. They could of wrapped it in glass, or puncture windows or bring back some noble elements to it. Instead they puked on it.

The mid 90s reno was hands down the worst. The 1968 reno was an unfortunate butchery of the original, but at least the end result looked graceful and coherent. By contrast, the cinema makeover looks like they just bolted a bunch of random parts to the building to horrifying effect. The end result is like seeing a retired cabinet minister or other such pillar of the community walking around his front yard pissed drunk on some kind of buck-a-beer while wearing an Affliction t-shirt.

Unfortunately that decade from the early 90s to the early 00s yielded some horrendous design choices, and this is a pretty prime example.

[TorontoDrew]

[QUOTE=WhipperSnapper;7536411]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

You like setbacks? Take a gander at this beauty:

blogto

I don't think it was meant to be a beauty. It certainly doesn't belong in this thread. The ugly part is the stupid sample wall.

I find it ugly but at least it's in keeping with the Brutalist movement, that's why I agree it doesn't belong here.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I find it ugly but at least it's in keeping with the Brutalist movement, that's why I agree it doesn't belong here.

Agreed.

[TorontoDrew]

And this thing is just so Ugly it wins for the ugliest in Toronto Hands down. It's almost so ugly I like it for some odd reason. A bit like a Pug.


BTW each year a list is made in Toronto this building gets on the list. All it needs is a clocktower to complete it. ........heint hint..
from:http://www.blogto.com

[matthew6]

I agree with Rico. What they did to the forum is an abomination. To think that this is the building where all those Stanley Cups were won. And they did THAT to it.

[Martin Mtl]

/\ It's not like it ever was an architectural beauty to start with. Nothing of value, except nostalgia.