This New England Landmark Was Named One of the Ugliest Buildings on Earth

Contrary to what George Costanza from Seinfeld thinks, architects actually exist, and I happen to be married to one! I've learned a lot from my architect husband over the years. Wherever we go, he takes notice of the buildings around us. It's kind of in his blood! He will comment on what makes a certain building unique, functional, or aesthetically pleasing.

In order to determine if a building is attractive, one must ask the hard-hitting questions. Does the building blend in with the surrounding architecture, or does it stick out like a sore thumb? Does its design make sense for the function that it serves? Has it been well-maintained over the years, or is it just plain U-G-L-Y ("you ain't got no alibi, you ugly! Yeah, yeah, you ugly!"). Sorry, I blacked out and went back to middle school for a second, but I'm back.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but at the same time, most of us can agree that certain structures are objectively beautiful. The Eiffel Tower, for example. It's A CERTIFIED BEAUTY OF A BUILDING! Everyone wants a selfie in front of that bad boy:

Or the Taj Mahal in India. They don't make 'em like that anymore:

And then there are other structures that make us say to ourselves, "What in the concrete jungle were they trying to do here?" Boston City Hall is one of those buildings.

A famous critic once said that Boston City Hall looks like the crate that Faneuil Hall came in, and in my opinion, there is no better description for it.

The juxtaposition of this harsh building smack dab in the middle of some of the most charming architecture that Boston has to offer is jarring, to say the least.

Not everyone feels this way. Michelle Wu told Boston.com in 2021 that,

I love City Hall. I will fight anyone who says it’s not a beautiful building, I’m ready and prepared to take anyone on a tour who disagrees with the architectural beauty of this building.

You might be getting in a lot of fights these days, Michelle.

What do you think about Boston City Hall? Is she truly the global eyesore that these publications are making her out to be?