Where Are Our Ugly Buildings?

Photo by Tien Mao

Travel + Leisure takes a look at the World's Ugliest Buildings, and somehow no New York structures made the list. Not even the Verizon Building. Though the New York magazine architecture critic may have an explanation; he tells them: “The ugliest buildings are the anonymous ones. Even if an experimental, high-profile building doesn’t quite deliver, at least the architect is trying something. A boring building is a warehouse in the middle of New Jersey.”

So which New York buildings would you add to their list? Here are our picks from a few years ago (for shame, the Verizon Building didn't make it to that list either!).

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on October 13, 2009 2:10 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Am I the only one who hates the Conde Nast Tower so much I'd be thrilled to give it some Deutsche Bank style lovin'?

yakatori

The new Cooper Union building.

http://www.cooper.edu/cubuilds/gallery_extA.html

hotstepper

that's the ticket! that spaceship prototype ruined my favorite place for a public piss after a few rounds at McSorelys. it's so unsatisfying to pee on those stupid shards of concrete now...

Think2wice

The Standard Hotel.

Is this Modernist crap in style again?

Cobalt

I'd say the "renovations" in Columbus Circle, starting with 2 Columbus Circle being stripped of its original quirky -and might I add appropriately circular- motif. The arrogance of the architect and gallery director made me really MAD! In the hands of someone who saw fit to celebrate the original this building could have been upgraded into something worthy of its prime location.

Adding insult to injury would be the pointless recladding of 1775 Broadway, transforming a nice old pre-war brick office building into just another glass box and rebranding it as 3 Columbus Circle.

What a waste of two NY originals!

Kevin Walsh

The Verizon building is a work of art compared to these

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/linden.place/linden.place.html

valeriob

dude those are like three stories of crappyness. We're talking monumental piles of crap here.

Kevin Walsh

Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn are filling up with this kind of crap architecture. The Fedders specials are the real ugliest buildings in NYC. The Verizon, the Coop, the Standard, 2 Columbus Circle -- you may disagree or agree whether they're ugly. With the crap barracks popping up all over town -- there's no doubt.