Boston’s City Hall is once again getting attention for its looks. A survey completed by UK-based building supply company Buildworld determined that City Hall is the second ugliest building in the US, and the fourth biggest eyesore in the world. We’ll pretend that they aren’t still bitter about the Boston Tea Party and take a look at the big brutal picture.
City Hall features a Brutalist architecture style, which uses exposed concrete and repeating angular geometric shapes. In the 1960s, this style was very popular, and likely why the team of architects and engineers chose the style out of 256 entries when the building was constructed from 1963-1968.
Over time, the building has faced many criticisms, including former Mayor Thomas Menino proposing to sell the property and move it to South Boston in 2006. If you haven’t been by City Hall recently, the plaza has been renovated to make the community space more accessible and welcoming.
Let us know what you think about the look. Bonus points if you share what changes you would make if you could.