Boston city hall named #1 world ugliest eyesore (Dudley: appointed, real estate)

[LEVOW]

Travel Picks: 10 top ugly buildings and monuments - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081114/lf_nm_life/us_travel_picks_ugly - broken link)

[lrfox]

I'll be in the minority here, but I kind of like it. Before you throw rocks at me for saying this, just hear me out. The architecture is unique, and with a little work (renovations, cleaning, and most importantly, ground floor retail--on the plaza and along Congress St) and you could have an enjoyable landmark structure.

The biggest failings are the COMPLETE misery that is the plaza, the lack of anything to engage pedestrians (i.e. retail or restaurants on the ground floor), and the resulting lack of scale that follows.

Most ground-breaking architecture is renowned when it is first complete (like City Hall was), then hated a few decades later (like City Hall is now), and eventually becomes historic and celebrated as time goes on (which will happen to City Hall if it's cleaned up and preserved). I don't think City Hall is the best building in Boston and it certainly needs work, but calling it the ugliest building in the world is overstating it.

I do agree with some of the rest of the list though.

[boston mark]

Originally Posted by lrfox

The biggest failings are the COMPLETE misery that is the plaza, the lack of anything to engage pedestrians (i.e. retail or restaurants on the ground floor), and the resulting lack of scale that follows.

It's like putting an eyesore up on a pedestal.

[lrfox]

I think that the plaza would be equally as cold an uninviting if the Taj Mahal were in place of city hall. It's just awful... a plaza, or any open public space, should be some place where as a pedestrian, you want to stop and rest and take in the surroundings... most people hurry through city hall plaza as if they're being chased by a pack of wild dogs. The plaza, in my opinion, is one of the worst public spaces in the country and possibly the world. The other modernist plaza in town (Christian Science) is the polar opposite... surrounded by some brutalist architecture (same style as City Hall) and the gorgeous Mother Church and centered around the reflecting pool, the Christian Science Plaza is warm, inviting, and beautiful. It's the perfect example of how brutalism can work in the right context.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by lrfox

brutalism can work in the right context.

Like Irfox, I have come to understand more about the design of City Hall which has led me to a more moderated contempt it. Irfox's comparison to Church Park perfectly illustrates the largest failure of City Hall was the failure to employ I M Pei's design for the plaza. The Plaza at church park makes the buildings fit and make it nice. The barren wasteland around city hall is the true culprit.

I have heard the reason they did not employ the plaza design was someone suggested the public would want to stand in awe of magnificence of this great design. If that is so, I would say that adds yet another layer of contempt to this disaster. Some seriously misplaced vanity and overblown ego plopped down in the heart of a city that cherishs modest elegance!

That does not mean however that I like the building. I think it's a horrid example of how unrestrained eccentric architects can truly fail.

I have heard stories that the building was supposed to mimic the Hanging Garden's of Babylon.



Yahoo! Image Search Results for hanging gardens of babylon

I have also heard the story that it is supposed to be an upside down Aztec Temple. But I think the truth is it was designed to model after the work of an architech called Le Corbusier.

Le Corbusier - Google Image Search

Although I can see how Le Conbusier's style can succeed in proper context, we can all see how it can fail miserably - eg, City Hall. The image and article below shows Le Conbusier's plan for Paris. Eww, what a disaster that would have been, eh? Looks like the Lower East Side to me.




Google Image Result for http://davidbyrne.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/12_02_05_a_le_corbusier_par_1.jpg

Ok so all said and done, I can agree the building has merit and it would be more visible if they fixed the plaza.

However, I think the biggest mistake with this plaza goes hand in hand with the huge mistake of that era - Urban renewal. Urban renewal destroyed Scollay Sq, the whole West End, and brought us the charming (elevated) central artery. Urban renewal was an era where Boston forgot its identity. Boston lost it's ability to see it's own unique beauty and felt like it needed a complete makeover. In it's rush for a new face, it got bad plastic surgery.

That all said, the bottom line is that City Hall design simply is not appropriate for Boston. It might work in Aztec Mexico, Brasilia, LA or Houston, but not Boston. Boston is tastefully appointed, not brutal.

The Mayor is right. Sell the damn city hall, let some big corporation or developer fix it up and have the prime real estate location. With the extra money, the city can make a beautiful new city hall that will help jump start revitalization in neighborhoods like South Bay or the Seaport District. Once the slums of South Boston and South Bay are removed, Boston's gorgeous downtown will reach from the Charles to City Point to Upham's Corner to Dudley Square with no slums interrupting.

[lrfox]

^Good post. I don't think City Hall is the best example of the Brutalist style, but I also don't think it's the worst.

I agree with your point that the building is worsened by the Urban Renewal movement. The notion that replacing city-planning methods that were successful for millennia with auto-centric vast, out of scale super structures is absolutely insane (though unfortunately, it still happens).

I also agree that it should be sold and the land used for development. In fact looking at renderings for the proposal to replace the Gov't Center Garage (another monstrosity) show that City Hall Plaza would be the only thing blocking the new construction from being fully connected to the rest of the Financial District.

Can anyone look at THIS rendering and say that City Hall and the Plaza shouldn't be replaced with something new that would link the two areas?:


Again, good post... I agree with you 100%

[dem3456]

Why was my post deleted? Nobody else posts links to photos that they don't have a copyright to.

[CaseyB]

Unless it is your own photo, or you know for a fact that there is no copyright and it is for free distribution, it can't be posted here. If you are not sure, please provide a link to the photo. Any other questions about this policy, please send me a direct message.

[1979]

I have seen much uglier buildings than city hall in Boston. Why should every building here look like it was built in the 1700-1800's? Notice how NYC has a nice contrast of buildings from 100's of years ago till today?

The Hearst builing in NYC is actually a very ugly building. And I think there are numerous structures in Asia that are also ugly. I think someone had it out for Boston...

[Joe Bama!]

It has to be one of the ugliest city hall buildings in America.