The eye of the beholder
The Guggenheim, the Chrysler building, the Empire
State buildings are among countless New York City structures celebrated for
their grace, style, and distinction.
But for every iconic structure there are just as
many duds.
Ten of the most unfortunate constructions were
recently listed in a Reuter’s news ranking of the world’s
ugliest buildings. Among them are several iconic American buildings
(including, notably, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame),
a smattering of Asian sites,
and a single location each in Australia and the UK. They range from the
downright outrageous (Australia’s crazy-quilt Pixel building)
to the terrifyingly
cold (The Royal National Theatre in London). With a thin line dividing the campy from the simply catastrophic,
architecture often blame a combination of unfortunate factors for the worst
eyesores: excess, ego, and exceedingly bad judgment.
Reuters proclaims the J. Edgar Hoover Building (FBI HQ) in Washington, D.C. as the worst
among them.
The poured-concrete stalwart was imagined as a powerful structure,
meant to appear as solid as the organization it housed. Since then, most of DC
– including the majority of its own occupants- has deemed it destruction-worthy.
In fact, the building’s demise is likely if and when the FBI relocates to
another headquarters.
Function, structure, and beauty
While ugly comes in many and
interesting varieties, though, truly exemplary architecture incorporates three
essential qualities: function, structure, and beauty.
Function describes the building’s
ability to meet its original purpose (if it’s an airport terminal, for example,
does it truly accommodate the planes and passengers well?) Structure is a
matter of sheer physical soundness and durability. Beauty, clearly dependent on
the beholder’s eye, is harder to pin down.
I’ve always loved buildings that endure
and delight – like the Chrysler Building. The pre-war skyscraper tastefully incorporates
elements from the 1929 Chrysler (the hubcaps and hood ornaments), without
veering into the realm of excess. Even today, almost 80 years after its debut, the
Chrysler’s shiny Art Deco ornamentation is
graceful and inviting rather than gaudy or garish.
Interestingly, the Reuters list included only one
New York City site: Trump Tower at 725 Fifth Avenue.
Once considered the
signature building of its time (circa 1983), the Trump is, according to
Reuters, “downright dull on the
outside, dizzyingly gaudy on the inside,” and “generally only visited by
tourists - as it is almost universally avoided by actual New Yorkers”.
Do tell
So if we hate the
Trump, who do we love? What constitutes well-executed design –
and why? And where, among out many streets and avenues, are the real
architectural gems lurking?
Leave us a comment below,
and I’ll share some of our discoveries in the weeks ahead. Happy hunting!
