# Oddly shaped black building near Dulles (Washington, DC) Airport **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816 "2007-01-05T14:44:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/21 "2007-01-06T19:05:46Z")
[QUOTE=AWB] There’s a building in Tyson’s Corner, VA, that has a large white archway over its front courtyard. It’s oval in shape, and it looks like a toilet bowl seat. If you mention “The Toilet Bowl”, people in the area immediately know what building you’re talking about. [/QUOTE] You mean [this one](http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnblog/338124706/)? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/22 "2007-01-06T19:25:21Z")
They finally tore down one of the worlds most ugly buidings. The Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth > **[Tricorn Portsmouth 60s Brutalism](https://www.retrowow.co.uk/architecture/60s/tricorn/reflections.html)** > > A celebration of the Tricorn Centre, Portsmouth which was demolished in 2003. The Tricorn > was designed by the Owen Luder partnership, responsible for the Get Carter Car park in Gateshead. Raw exposed concrete was > used in the brutalist style. > **[Tricorn Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricorn_Centre)** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}50°48.155′N 001°05.402′W / 50.802583°N 1.090033°W / 50.802583; -1.090033 > The Tricorn Centre was a shopping, nightclub and car park complex in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It was designed in the Br... ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/23 "2007-01-06T19:44:17Z")
[QUOTE=Meurglys] Here in Edinburgh we have a wonderfully ugly new Parliament building: [side view](http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/jpgs/scottish_parliament_msp_qbh.jpg) [front view](http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/jpgs/scottish_parliament_kh2.jpg) [members’ offices](http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/jpgs/scotparl_msp_southwest_kh_rmjm.jpg); [close up](http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/jpgs/scotparl_MSP_elevation.jpg) [/QUOTE] Wow, that’s awful. I rather like the building the OP talks about. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/24 "2007-01-06T19:50:31Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Wow, that’s awful. [/QUOTE] It actually looks ok from some viewpoints, and but it really is a dog’s dinner of a building. It’s very nice inside though. A bargain for 900 million dollars! ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/25 "2007-01-06T20:32:10Z")
I love how the parliament members’ offices are already behind bars… at least they are honest about their role! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Don26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@Don26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don26)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/26 "2007-01-07T00:11:47Z")
[![](http://www.etopiamedia.net/empnn/images/fresnocityhall1.jpg) ](http://www.etopiamedia.net/empnn/images/fresnocityhall1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/27 "2007-01-07T01:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] You mean this one? [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/28 "2007-01-07T02:44:33Z")
[QUOTE=Don26] [![](http://www.etopiamedia.net/empnn/images/fresnocityhall1.jpg) ](http://www.etopiamedia.net/empnn/images/fresnocityhall1.jpg) [/QUOTE] Starfleet Academy! ---
**Author:** ![Don26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@Don26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don26)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/29 "2007-01-07T04:53:19Z")
[QUOTE=Vlad/Igor] Starfleet Academy! [/QUOTE] Sadly, $125 MILLION DOLLAR Fresno City Hall I have a really strong urge to rapell down the face of the ugly ass thing… ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/30 "2007-01-07T15:59:22Z")
[QUOTE=AWB] There’s a building in Tyson’s Corner, VA, that has a large white archway over its front courtyard. It’s oval in shape, and it looks like a toilet bowl seat. If you mention “The Toilet Bowl”, people in the area immediately know what building you’re talking about. [/QUOTE] Having passed the building literally thousands of times, I only visited it once, and that was last weekend (There’s a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor where a friend and I had dinner). I had always wondered if skateboarders were tempted to use the building’s edifice as a half-pipe. The texture of the rim, combined with the placement of some bolted-down park benches and a flagpole, make such an enterprise difficult. Y’know, in case you were wondering… ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/31 "2007-01-07T17:46:36Z")
[QUOTE=BACI] No you don’t… We do. > **[404 Page Not Found](https://www.bcl.com.au/404-page/index.html)** Game over. [/QUOTE] Wow. It’s like someone drew up plans for a fairly ordinary office building, then crumpled up the blueprints and threw them away. Then someone else found the blueprints and used them to actually build a building without bothering to first uncrumple them. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/32 "2007-01-07T20:00:39Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] I thought _we_ owned [the ugliest building in the world](http://canada.pcl.com/media/files/Projects/09_Toronto/0900335_1_300.JPG)… [/QUOTE] Hey! I like that building! Especially the glowing blobs suspended in the lobby! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/33 "2007-01-07T20:01:55Z")
[QUOTE=BACI] No you don’t… We do. > **[404 Page Not Found](https://www.bcl.com.au/404-page/index.html)** Game over. [/QUOTE] And that’s the Horse of a Different Colour parked out front? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/34 "2007-01-07T20:04:03Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] The Seattle dopers want to know what they won. [/QUOTE] Another one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/35 "2007-01-07T21:16:52Z")
LOL. I am a definite fan of a lot of these buildings. Not all, but several. Go modern architecture! Gehry rocks! LA’s Walt Disney Hall is one of my all time favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/36 "2007-01-07T23:08:29Z")
I also like all these buildings (well, some less than others). They’re a refreshing change from endless glass-and-steel block buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/37 "2007-01-07T23:15:16Z")
[QUOTE=Ragiel] I also like all these buildings (well, some less than others). They’re a refreshing change from endless glass-and-steel block buildings. [/QUOTE] Then [BEHOLD!!!](http://www.city-data.com/cpicv/vfiles11416.jpg) The _glory_ of Nashville’s AT&T Tower–a.k.a. "[The Batman Building](http://www.blueshoenashville.com/btbatmanam2.jpg) ". 😃 Goofy, but _we_ like it. ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/38 "2007-01-07T23:24:25Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Then [BEHOLD!!!](http://www.city-data.com/cpicv/vfiles11416.jpg) The _glory_ of Nashville’s AT&T Tower–a.k.a. "[The Batman Building](http://www.blueshoenashville.com/btbatmanam2.jpg) ". 😃 Goofy, but _we_ like it. [/QUOTE] Oh, that’s great! It’s adorable! I lived in Nashville for 8 years. The buildings in the foreground are familiar. Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/39 "2007-01-08T05:10:07Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Hey! I like that building! Especially the glowing blobs suspended in the lobby! [/QUOTE] Considering you just passed your Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing exam, I’m going to be very, very afraid for Toronto’s architecture over here… 😃 I think the Batman Building’s cute. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816/40 "2007-01-08T08:17:48Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] Considering you just passed your Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing exam, I’m going to be very, very afraid for Toronto’s architecture over here… 😃 [/QUOTE] Bwa-ha-ha-ha… :: rubs hands with glee :: (brightly) Did you know that the straight line is obsolete? :: peers intently at the listener :: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-shaped-black-building-near-dulles-washington-dc-airport/386816.md?page=3)