Ugly Canada 2 (Only architecture, planning and design faux pas) - Page 17

esquire · #**321** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 3:22 PM**

^ That Marriott looks great to me... in that photo, at least. The Carriage House, though... yikes.

O-tacular · #**322** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 3:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ That Marriott looks great to me... in that photo, at least. The Carriage House, though... yikes.

It's a bunker in the middle of downtown. Here's some street context:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.04456...7i13312!8i6656

As for the Carriage House, can you believe that was a recent reno they actually paid for. That crown thing was added on and so was the fake stone at the bottom. It used to just be all white. If you ask me they should have spent the money updating the interior lobby and restaurant instead.

SignalHillHiker · #**323** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 3:52 PM**

Is it an abuse of mod privileges to suspend someone for a few days for liking the Marriot?

esquire · #**324** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 3:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Is it an abuse of mod privileges to suspend someone for a few days for liking the Marriot?

I think we need the admins to arrange for some mandatory brutalism appreciation training for all mods!

SignalHillHiker · #**325** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:00 PM**

I'd fail.

esquire · #**326** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I'd fail.

Reach out and embrace the beauty of béton brut!

TorontoDrew · #**327** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:22 PM**

That building is cool.

Acajack · #**328** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Reach out and embrace the beauty of béton brut!

Sounds like the name of a freaky type of sparkling wine. Not sure I'd want to try it!

TorontoDrew · #**329** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:24 PM**

What about Hamilton's tallest. The Landmark Place?

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org

SignalHillHiker · #**330** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Reach out and embrace the beauty of béton brut!

Bleak. At least they're not trying to make it pretty like we do with ours. St. John's City Hall - "the bunker":

O-tacular · #**331** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:36 PM**

There's still nothing that can top the Fantasyland Hotel when it comes to ugly kitsch.

O-tacular · #**332** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Reach out and embrace the beauty of béton brut!

I can appreciate interesting Brutalism but that just looks like a prison camp on Mars. I think my appreciation for Brutalism ends at Commie blocks and slab shaped buildings.

For instance I find the old Calgary Board of Education building has architectural merit and should have protected heritage status:

On the other hand this pile of crap can burn to the ground:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03647...7i13312!8i6656

kwoldtimer · #**333** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:39 PM**

Is deliberately ugly kitsch still ugly, or is it kitscheriffic?

niwell · #**334** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:41 PM**

Oh wow that brings me back. As a kid the idea of getting to stay in one of the theme rooms at the Fantasyland hotel was like a dream. Even got to do it on a few occasions when I went with a friend. My parents certainly weren't paying for that just to hang out at a mall all weekend and in retrospect I don't blame them!

O-tacular · #**335** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

What about Hamilton's tallest. The Landmark Place?

It reminds me of the apartment tower from Judge Dredd.

rotten42 · #**336** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Here's a Mansion outside Calgary that beats that garage count:

Here's a pic from when it was under construction. It's all just plywood with a stone veneer.

Reddit thread about it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...use_or_prison/

Here's the streetview. Unfortunately it doesn't show the recent addition of a super tacky gold sculpture of Poseidon or some other Roman God with a Triton riding a chariot with four horses. It's awful. Almost as bad as the Roman villa in Brossard.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.04714...7i13312!8i6656

It is own by Nick Huang (spelling?) Owner of Jaeger Homes and a bunch of other companies. he also was behind the building of the Guardian Tower. Nobody is living in the house now and it is rumoured that he is back in China.

O-tacular · #**337** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 4:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotten42

It is own by Nick Huang (spelling?) Owner of Jaeger Homes and a bunch of other companies. he also was behind the building of the Guardian Tower. Nobody is living in the house now and it is rumoured that he is back in China.

Nick Hon. So to add insult to injury that compound is vacant? I'm amazed the Guardian towers turned out as nice as they did considering his personal taste.

O-tacular · #**338** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 5:24 PM**

Worst combination of businesses guaranteeing a dead zone on Calgary's very urban 17th Ave:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03783...7i13312!8i6656

A little further down in one direction there's competing suburban style fast food restaurants and the other way there's a Liquor Depot with a massive surface parking lot and a stripmall. Across the street you have a gravel parking lot. There are currently plans by a developer to massively build up sections of 17th Ave. Unfortunately from what I've seen it's all demolishing existing smaller historic buildings and replacing them with mega block retail / office / condos. The most logical place to start the revamp in my opinion is this area right here. It's like the epicentre of crap on 17th.

On the other side it's bookended by competing funeral homes and another dirt lot that has sat fallow for a decade after a developer bulldozed a bunch of old houses to make way for a development that never materialized.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03780...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.03781...7i13312!8i6656

It's frustrating how long deadbeat landowners seem to be able to sit on property and ruin the streetscape for pedestrians.

MolsonExport · #**339** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 5:58 PM**

• Video Link

MonkeyRonin · #**340** Posted **Jan 11, 2019, 6:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by niwell

Oh wow that brings me back. As a kid the idea of getting to stay in one of the theme rooms at the Fantasyland hotel was like a dream. Even got to do it on a few occasions when I went with a friend. My parents certainly weren't paying for that just to hang out at a mall all weekend and in retrospect I don't blame them!

Between the mirrored ceilings & jacuzzi in the bedroom, I don't think children were the target audience.