# What Is Your Favorite Building? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263 "2009-02-24T20:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/61 "2009-02-26T22:03:58Z")
I’ve always liked the [Lloyd’s](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_12jbE2_5A74/R39kRYuvqFI/AAAAAAAAAFg/4C_K_WDCheg/Lloyds.JPG) [Building](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/83/246414453_79a253d9b9.jpg). And the [Bradbury](http://www.gadling.com/media/2006/02/BR_loc_Bradbury_int2.jpg) [Building](http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1416/11320449.JPG), as well. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/62 "2009-02-27T00:07:28Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > …And the [Bradbury](http://www.gadling.com/media/2006/02/BR_loc_Bradbury_int2.jpg) [Building](http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1416/11320449.JPG), as well. As seen (considerably “dirtied up”) in _Blade Runner._ ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/63 "2009-02-27T18:13:19Z")
I’m also a big fan [of](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/2099483475/) [Seattle’s](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/2100263640/) [Smith](http://www.flickr.com/photos/edbob/492504521/) [Tower](http://www.flickr.com/photos/racingsquirrel/203995952/). ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/64 "2009-02-27T20:51:01Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > This sounds ridiculous, I know, but I think the Chrysler Building may very well be the most beautiful thing ever constructed by man. I make it a point to go out specifically to shoot it [every time I go to NYC](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/sets/72157604677031115/). I could list a million buildings here in Chicago that I just love, but I have to say that the Chrysler Building probably edges all of them out as my absolute favorite. Great pics of it, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/65 "2009-02-27T21:32:45Z")
I have lots but the first one that popped into my head when Iread op was Puerta de Europa, Madrid Spain [http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/europe/images/castellana03.jpg](http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/europe/images/castellana03.jpg) sorta surprises me, cause I really love old buildings, built from stone, but these are just spectacular irl ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/66 "2009-02-27T21:35:53Z")
Going in a slightly different direction… behold the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (the photos are from both before and since its move to safety, farther away from the Atlantic) : > **[Photography](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/)** > > National Geographic is the source for pictures, photo tips, free desktop wallpapers of places, animals, nature, underwater, travel, and more, as well as photographer bios. [http://www.bansemer.com/north\_carolina\_lighthouse\_prints/Cape\_Hatteras-lighthouse-print.jpg](http://www.bansemer.com/north_carolina_lighthouse_prints/Cape_Hatteras-lighthouse-print.jpg) [http://www.surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/Cape\_Hatteras\_lighthouse.jpg](http://www.surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/Cape_Hatteras_lighthouse.jpg) [http://www.garycarterphotos.com/GALLERY/Scenic/slides/Cape%20Hatteras%20Lighthouse.jpg](http://www.garycarterphotos.com/GALLERY/Scenic/slides/Cape%20Hatteras%20Lighthouse.jpg) [![](http://berryweb.com/Cape-Hatteras-Lighthouse_1.jpg) ](http://berryweb.com/Cape-Hatteras-Lighthouse_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/67 "2009-02-27T21:40:08Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > I could list a million buildings here in Chicago that I just love, but I have to say that the Chrysler Building probably edges all of them out as my absolute favorite. > > Great pics of it, BTW. Isn’t it the truth, **Sarahfeena?** Chicago’s skyline is (in my not so humble opinion) unmatched! I would LOVE to get a job working back downtown - I used to just LOVE it. I loved taking the train, I loved walking around the city at lunch… Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/68 "2009-02-28T00:52:41Z")
[Here’s one of me](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Beijing_2007_2#10) in front of my favorite building, again the Temple of Heaven. I think I’ve used this one in a Doper-photo thread before. Let’s see, the Shanghai Museum is [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Shanghai_2007_2#47) and [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Shanghai_2007_2#46). The building is shaped like an ancient Chinese [ding vessel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding_(vessel)). The [Huxinting Teahouse](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Shanghai_2007_2#1), also in Shanghai. And no mention of Shanghai is complete without the [Oriental Pearl Tower](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Shanghai_2007_1#48). You can go up into all three bubbles, even the little one up near the top. You can see it at night [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Shanghai_2007_1#58) (on the right) and [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Shanghai_2007_1#59). Took those last two from the Cloud 9 Bar on the 87th floor of the Jinmao Tower next to it. And here is a venerable old Shanghai landmark: [Broadway Mansions](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Shanghai_2007_1#9). The Foreign Correspondents’ Club occupied the 9th floor in the 1930s, and the reporters had a fine view of the Japanese bombings. That’s a wonderful old bridge, too, the Garden Bridge, crossing the Suzhou Creek. We noticed a good shot of it in the movie [Lust, Caution](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808357/) (2007); it must have been taken from Broadway Mansions itself. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/69 "2009-02-28T01:12:00Z")
Oh, and [here](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Shanghai_2007_1#6) is a good perspective of the Pearl Oriental Tower. Should have included this above. (The building between the two globes is a convention center, I think.) And not spectacular, but I’ll throw it in for the historical interest. [This](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5#80) is the building in Shanghai’s French Quarter in which Mao Zedong and others founded the Communist Party of China in July 1921. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/70 "2009-02-28T01:44:35Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Isn’t it the truth, **Sarahfeena?** Chicago’s skyline is (in my not so humble opinion) unmatched! I would LOVE to get a job working back downtown - I used to just LOVE it. I loved taking the train, I loved walking around the city at lunch… > > Sigh. Oh my gosh, yes…there are so many buildings here I love, it’s impossible to choose a favorite. One day, it might be a really old one like the Auditorium building or the Board of Trade, another day, the John Hancock or the Standard Oil. I never get tired of looking at them. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/71 "2009-03-01T03:17:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And not spectacular, but I’ll throw it in for the historical interest. [This](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5#80) is the building in Shanghai’s French Quarter in which Mao Zedong and others founded the Communist Party of China in July 1921. And of course, in Shanghai that particular area is called the French Concession, not the French Quarter. It’s not New Orleans. It also contains [Chiang Kai-shek’s old house](http://aentz.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Shanghai_2007_2#88), another one of historic interest. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/72 "2009-03-01T05:50:41Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I don’t think that place will go over too well with all the folks here that have that cluster / pod phobia thingy.:eek: > > Not picking on your choice, **olives**. That building has always kind of ooged me out and I don’t even have the phobia. Oops, sorry to disturb you. I guess it looks cluster-ish from a distance, but up close it’s full of beautiful, non-clustery sculpture. Like [this](http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/s/sa/samsegar/15061_sagrada_familia_-_passion_faca.jpg). And [this](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://image32.webshots.com/32/8/62/79/259786279lUzBxB_fs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1259786279048604110lUzBxB&usg=__mXnmgavLKq6UV_yR1oOPRweZHiE=&h=1600&w=2400&sz=497&hl=en&start=82&sig2=y-vrejzHAbURc1A4ol28vA&um=1&tbnid=yOT2Bj5LdWt00M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&ei=-SCqSc71HdCKngfszrD7Dw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddetail%2Bsagrada%2Bfamilia%26start%3D63%26ndsp%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN). (Hmm, those are from the Passion facade… I admit the Nativity facade does seem a little clustery, if you’re concerned about that… just go see it, but stay on the one side!) Meh, don’t worry, everyone in my husband’s family hated it too. Surrealism just isn’t for everyone. I can see how it’s kind of creepy, but that’s part of the fantasy of it. It doesn’t even look like something that should be on the earth. It’s so unique. \* La Sagrada Familia\* is an alien building that fascinates and entrances me. My god how this makes me want to go back, to see it again, to prove it’s real. When I see beautiful, creative, imaginative works like this, it really inspires me about the good we can do here. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/73 "2009-03-01T11:21:58Z")
Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow. It’s like some magical gingerbread castle. Gorgeous colours and wonderous shapes. Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai. I’m not a huge fan of modern design but the first moment I saw a picture of this building I was in love. It’s lines in comparison to it’s landscape just make me want to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263/74 "2009-03-01T11:30:10Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > This sounds ridiculous, I know, but I think the Chrysler Building may very well be the most beautiful thing ever constructed by man. I make it a point to go out specifically to shoot it [every time I go to NYC](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/sets/72157604677031115/). That is what I was going to mention. I love the Chrysler building. Outside of the US my favorite might be the [Mainzer Dom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainz_Cathedral). I saw a lot of churches when I lived in Germany. This was one of the most unique ones. It had the crap bombed out of it during WWII but they did a great job of restoring it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-building/487263.md?page=3)