The Ugly Canada Thread

[niwell]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Edit:

Took more time than I thought to find a complete old timey pole. Should have gone east end right from the start. So many have been updated or chopped in half as the lines got buried but, the pole remains for street lighting and transit.

For some reason they have installed new wooden poles (without the birdcage) on some streets. Often times with the old pole right beside it still. I can only hope they are temporary...

https://goo.gl/maps/LHSKqc39StR2


WHY. And right beside one of the better midrise infills too.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I believe this one won a urbantoronto contest for the stupidest facadism.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6683387,-...dBzLaB6DBWYcQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1


It's so bad that, I admit, I kinda like it.

I didn't see that thread but I hope this one was on it: https://goo.gl/maps/ibmK1Kyarpj


It at least was done quite a while ago now. I agree with the Bedford one - it's kind of funny more than anything.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by niwell

I didn't see that thread but I hope this one was on it: https://goo.gl/maps/ibmK1Kyarpj

.

Oh, that's a lot worse IMO. Almost Soviet-esque.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by niwell

For some reason they have installed new wooden poles (without the birdcage) on some streets. Often times with the old pole right beside it still. I can only hope they are temporary...

https://goo.gl/maps/LHSKqc39StR2


WHY. And right beside one of the better midrise infills too.

Yeah, they are still using wooden poles. Birdcages are not needed for a long time since plastic and we started binding multiple conductors in one wire. The wiring on those bird cage poles are prewar. Not sure how much is still in use.

King's mess of hydro lines is a perplexing one. It is so far behind other major streets on the east side of downtown. Neighbouring Queen and Front are pretty much buried too.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by niwell

I didn't see that thread but I hope this one was on it: https://goo.gl/maps/ibmK1Kyarpj


It at least was done quite a while ago now. I agree with the Bedford one - it's kind of funny more than anything.

I totally forgot about this one. Much worse.

I totally agree. Bedford makes me laugh. Same can be said with the stone tower in some otherwise anonymous Calgary subdivision.

[OutOfTowner]

There's this 70's thing across from Metro Sherbrooke. Looks much worse in person. They were going for the giant Chinese restaurant look:



Another view of Egg Foo Condo

[WhipperSnapper]

That's ugly for sure. Something tells me it was reno'd fairly recently and it's the renos that are particularly ugly.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

That's ugly for sure. Something tells me it was reno'd fairly recently and it's the renos that are particularly ugly.

It may have been renovated but the ugliness- fins, curvy bits- were standard equipment.

[OutOfTowner]

Then there's this lamentable effort. Looks as if a sliver of facade was pressed onto a block of modelling clay. Why bother saving it at all only to achieve this ridiculous result?

[WhipperSnapper]

I find the added red alucobond cladding, the narrow strips of grey siding, and the glass balconies particularly offensive to the original Brutalist design.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

Then there's this lamentable effort. Looks as if a sliver of facade was pressed onto a block of modelling clay. Why bother saving it at all only to achieve this ridiculous result?

It's bad but, I'm willing to give this one a pass. The is the earliest modern example of Facadism in Toronto that comes to mind. This century old Facadism (actually an incorporation that looks like a facadism) isn't much better.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6492661,-...l6BApRrlY8ItoDhzcd1wQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It's bad but, I'm willing to give this one a pass. The is the earliest modern example of Facadism in Toronto that comes to mind. This century old Facadism (actually an incorporation that looks like a facadism) isn't much better.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6492661,-...l6BApRrlY8ItoDhzcd1wQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I don't mind that at all.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6492661,-...l6BApRrlY8ItoDhzcd1wQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

That's rather nice.

The other thing looks like Harry Potter waved his wand and a portal to Hogwarts suddenly appeared.

[WhipperSnapper]

Well, yeah, it's from the PoMo era afterall. I don't see anything likable about the St Lawrence Market incorporation of the first city hall building. It doesn't fit like the PoMo Facadism.

[OutOfTowner]

On the other side of Kung Fu Kondo, a worse crime was perpetrated. Some 60's idiot decided to erect an oversized blank brick wall at the end of a street full of 19th century greystones:

438 Rue Sherbrooke E, Montréal, QC H2L 1J6
https://goo.gl/maps/7fosKAPQvAp

Possibly the grimmest downtown intersection.

[WhipperSnapper]

That's just code when you build to the lot line.

[eemy]

My favourite example of facadism from 1971: the Tin House Courtyard in the Byward Market in Ottawa. You'll all find it particularly egregious since the house wasn't even originally located there.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

My favourite example of facadism from 1971: the Tin House Courtyard in the Byward Market in Ottawa. You'll all find it particularly egregious since the house wasn't even originally located there.

WTF? Dude walking by can't believe what he's seeing!

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

WTF? Dude walking by can't believe what he's seeing!

On second thought, that's kind of neat. More like a wall hanging than an attempt at facadism.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

That's just code when you build to the lot line.

Code? More like stupidity. "This corner needs an oversized p.o.s. because.. because it's a corner!"