The Ugliest Buildings in The World

The World’s Ugliest Buildings may be iconic centres but are aesthetically hideous.

Ever looked at a building and wondered, “what was that architect THINKING?”

While many of us travel the world to see some of the most beautiful examples of architectural excellence throughout the ages, sometimes it’s the not-so-pretty buildings that can be really interesting to look at too.

We took a look at some buildings around the globe that have become tourist destinations and gained plenty of international attention – for all the wrong reasons!

1. New York – Times Tower (The New York Times Building)

The Times Tower, which is located on 8th Avenue between 40th and 41st streets in Midtown, Manhattan, is the headquarters for one of the city’s most comprehensive and internationally popular daily newspapers. However, the building’s glass façade is much less stellar, littered with steel columns and a horizontal bar blocking out sunlight along with an external ladder and is a pale grey. Its external appearance acts as a visual metaphor for how the writers of the paper would feel if The New York Times ever ceased production. Let’s hope that will never be the case!

2. Paris – The Pompidou Centre

This is not to say that Paris is not the most architecturally beautiful city in the world – because it surely remains so. However, in amongst all the beautiful Gothic and Renaissance style buildings, one eyesore spoils the perfect fairytale existence of the city. The Pompidou Centre opened in 1977 in the 4th arrondissement. While it houses one of the most expansive and best museums for modern art in Europe, La Musée National d’Art Moderne, its high-tech architectural style is littered with exposed pipes, elevators and steel frames. It remains difficult to understand what the architect’s vision was. I guess it’s postmodern and it challenges Western society’s definition of art – but it’s undeniably ugly on the outside, even though it is beautiful on the inside!

3. Los Angeles – The Beverly Center

The Beverly Centre is a gigantic eyesore on the outside, located on the west side of Los Angeles near the intersection of La Cienega and Beverly. It has been described as looking like a giant household appliance, with no locally focused character and generally windowless on its main exterior facing the street. Sure, the building is an excellent shopping experience on the inside, including a Bloomingdales stole, but externally it has a distinctly industrial feel detracting from the rare beauty of the surrounding boutique neighbourhood.

4. London – The Tower Hotel

The Tower Hotel is located near Tower Bridge along the Thames and was voted amongst the top 5 ugliest buildings in London by a BBC survey. The Tower Hotel comprises modern, rendered brick, and is grey – lacking in character unlike many of the stunning older buildings that surround it. Ironically though, the Tower Hotel’s guests enjoy one of the best views in London, with a brilliant panoramic frontage along the Thames. The Tower Hotel is literally also a stone’s throw from many of the city’s major tourist attractions.

So, while these buildings mightn’t be the prettiest of the lot, they’re still popular for travelers and those looking for offices for lease. North Sydney, Milan, and Barcelona all also have some eyesores, so if you’re looking to do a round-the-world tour of ugly buildings (as well as see the beautiful ones while you’re there!) there are plenty of potential destinations.

Love,


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