# ugly building award **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209 "2003-09-23T00:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/81 "2003-09-28T22:55:40Z")
I work in a building with a view of the Stata Center (right out the window from my cubicle) and although while it was initially going up, my co-workers and I would stand around and take bets on how long the bizarrely angled concrete columns would hold (it _looked_ like an accident that had already happened) now that it’s coming together, I really rather like it. I’m fond of it. I go and look at it out the window and smile because someone decided that right angles were just an airy conceit, and they don’t need to bother with that sort of nonsense, oh no! Not them! Acute angles all round! It’s charming in a probably-wouldn’t-want-to-work-in-it way. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/82 "2003-09-28T23:55:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by romansperson \* > \*\*Here’s some pretty good candidates: > > [http://www.indiablox.com/ugliestbuilding.htm](http://www.indiablox.com/ugliestbuilding.htm) \*\* I _like_ the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! It’s certainly not an ugly building. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/83 "2003-09-29T00:12:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by caveman \* > \*\*Very few hereabouts are enamored of [this](http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/im/df/199550/) particularly jarring addition to our (archetecturally) fairly low-key downtown… \*\* Damn that’s good. I love that building. **Doebi** : I was looking for pictures of those… things. Those are easily the ugliest buildings in the Twin Cities. The buildings linked to by **Q.N. Jones** are bad, but they’re just boring bad. But the Riverside Plaza, that thing’s horrific. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/84 "2003-09-29T00:19:24Z")
Some more photos of the EMP monstrosity: [http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/slideshow/seattle/5.asp](http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/slideshow/seattle/5.asp) [http://www.jblpro.com/General/photos/installations\_pics.htm](http://www.jblpro.com/General/photos/installations_pics.htm) [http://www.unavuelta.com/Santiago/Arquitectura/Biografias/Frank\_Gehry/Principal.htm](http://www.unavuelta.com/Santiago/Arquitectura/Biografias/Frank_Gehry/Principal.htm) I’ve also gotta nominate the State of Illinois building in Chicago; I’ve always called it the Collapsed Pudding. [http://www.bc.edu/bc\_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/jahn.html](http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/jahn.html) [http://www.epdlp.com/jahn.html](http://www.epdlp.com/jahn.html) ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/85 "2003-09-29T03:59:04Z")
Everytime I see this building I expect to see giant insects flying out of it, ready to bring death and disease to the whole world: [http://www.bc.edu/bc\_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/20th/buffalo\_city.jpg](http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/20th/buffalo_city.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/86 "2003-09-29T09:23:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Everytime I see this building I expect to see giant insects flying out of it, ready to bring death and disease to the whole world: > > [http://www.bc.edu/bc\_org/avp/cas/fn...uffalo\_city.jpg](http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fn...uffalo_city.jpg) I actually like that one. It’s all authoritarian and evil. When I begin my plans for world domination that is so gonna be my evil headquarters. I can almost see the top opening up so the death beam can be fired to the satelite grid to destroy Paris. Mwahahaha ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/87 "2003-09-29T12:13:40Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by Wolfman_ > I actually like that one. It’s all authoritarian and evil. When I begin my plans for world domination that is so gonna be my evil headquarters. I can almost see the top opening up so the **death beam** can be fired to the satelite grid to destroy Paris. Mwahahaha Surely you meant the 1920s style death ray? ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/88 "2003-09-29T13:04:56Z")
Kudos to everyones entries! However, I think I’ve got the winner. The Columbus [Convention](http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/eisenman/ccc2.jpg) [Center](http://www3.jetro.go.jp/j-messe/center/img/nmci07.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/89 "2003-09-29T18:45:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by malaka \* > \*\*The Columbus [Convention](http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/eisenman/ccc2.jpg) [Center](http://www3.jetro.go.jp/j-messe/center/img/nmci07.jpg). \*\* Behold, the power of cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/90 "2003-09-29T19:56:19Z")
Hmmm, I was gonna vote for the Golden Turd, but the Simmons building and the Columbus Cheese Center beat them out soundly. [Here’s a giant potato chip.](http://www.arcaro.org/tension/album/dorton.htm) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/91 "2003-09-29T20:06:55Z")
I have severe issues with [this building in London](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/england/london/IMG_0060.jpg.html), which I don’t recall the name of. It’s right in the middle of the nice old section, right near Parliament, and it just sucks. It’s almost like the steam-punk concept applied to architecture, and it clashes horribly with everything around. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/92 "2003-09-29T21:00:57Z")
**SmackFu** , that building in London is great… until you get to the roof. Too dark, too heavy, it looks like they miniaturised the Battersea Power Station a couple of times and installed them in the attic. Those stacks _beg_ to be aminated, tooting puffs fo coloured smoke into the air accompanied by a cheesy 1920s-style calliope tune… I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned the [Erotic Gherkin](http://www.jacobsen.no/anders/blog/archives/2003/06/10/the_swiss_re_tower.html). Which I like, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209/93 "2003-09-30T00:10:03Z")
Erotic is right! Its a freakin’ penis in the middle of the city. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-building-award/203209.md?page=4)