Five minutes on this site and you see that there are thousands of marvellous buildings around the world. However, a lot of architectural gems have been torn down, destroyed,... Show us some lost beauties of your country!

Here are two that had to make way for "progress" in Belgium...

The 'maison du peuple', Horta's art nouveau masterpiece (1899), was demolished in 1965, despite international protest...
http://realink.org/c-arbre/ressources/img/f/f3/Maison_du_Peuple_par_Victor_Horta_(Bruxelles).jpg

The hippodrome (1903) in Antwerp, demolished in 1973
http://www.hbvl.be/dossiers/-e/eeuw/img/1972/hyppodroom2.jpg
http://www.belgiumview.com/foto/smvote/0000203ac.jpg

Turnul Colţei (also Turnul Colţea or Colţii) was a tower located in Bucharest, Wallachia, now in Romania. Having a height of 50 metres, it was the highest building in the city for more than a century. Its initial purpose was to be used as a bell tower — its 1,700 kg bell, was moved to the Sinaia Monastery after the tower was demolished. Its was also meant to serve as a watch tower.

The tower was named after Vornic Colţea Doicescu. His brother, Udrea Doicesu, built a small wooden church on the plot near the tower; after he was assassinated, the church and the land next to it were inherited by Colţea, who donated them to the Orthodox Church. The Church sold the patch of land near the church to Spătar Mihai Cantacuzino, who, in 1701, used it as the location for the first hospital in Wallachia, the Colţei Hospital, and also decided to build a tower.

The tower was built between 1709 and 1714, its construction being assisted by the Swedish soldiers of the army of King Charles XII, who had fled to Wallachia after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Poltava. Mihai Cantacuzino kept his secret archive inside the tower.

An earthquake on October 14, 1802 destroyed its top part, including its clock; in 1888, it was demolished completely. Two years later, in 1890, another structure was built as a watch tower, Foişorul de Foc.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/436442241_da016a8a5e_o.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei%2C_mid-19th_century.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei%2C_1841.jpg/484px-Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei%2C_1841.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei%2C_1888.jpg/384px-Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei%2C_1888.jpg
[Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnul_Col%C5%A3ei)]

I ran a poll on the biggest shame in my city of residence:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=244106

There is no better example in NYC than Penn Station, but most of all, for us skyscraper aficionados, the Singer Building:
http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2384/tsinger2le0.jpg

this is the lastest gem torn down in Malaysia.

Bok House, Kuala Lumpur
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c224/dengilo/jan2007001.jpg

http://www.badanwarisan.org.my/images/uploads/bok1512.JPG

http://www.badanwarisan.org.my/images/uploads/bok1612.JPG

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c224/dengilo/jan2007010.jpg

damn..it's like watching someone beinng killed...

thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=420929

There are alot of HK classic that are now gone :(

One of them is this the Hilton Hotel which now stand the Cheung Kong Centre

http://img.clubphoto.com/jerboa/48546782/502/null/image.jpg

I'm glad to have Cheung Kong instead of the Hilton :)

For Hong Kong, the whole area around the Legislative Council

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1893/1920victoriaharborov4.jpg

^^ those buildings look nice :cry:

HK should build a podium to cover the whole city and build skyscrapers on top of it :D

Detroit, Michigan.
This city has lost many fine buildings both due to replacement by more modern structures but also sadly to abandonment and decay.

The old pictures are from the Wayne State archives or Burton Memorial collectons.

Detroit's first skyscraper, the 10 story Hammond Building (1890) lasted for about 70 years before being replaced by an ugly bank building annex.

The Hammond Building:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/OldDetroit/hammond01.jpg
(the other 10 story building in the right background (Union Trust building) was also torn down)

The old City Hall was constructed in 1872 and torn down in 1961 as it was deemed "Inefficient" after a new International Style city hall was built. It was replaced with a park and underground parking which in turn was replaced by a 10 story office building in 2005.

The old City Hall:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/OldDetroit/oldcityhall01.jpg
(The Soldier and Sailors Civil War monument is in the foreground to the right)

The next picture shows what replaced the Hammond building and the old City Hall. The Bank One building on the left replaced the Hammond Building and the Ernst & Young building replaced the park that replaced the old City Hall.
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/DowntownDetroit/penobscot15.jpg
(I took this picture. The tall building is the third Penobscot building which was completed in 1928.)

The Federal Building in Detroit was torn down in 1932 and replaced with a "modern" stripped classical Federal Building that still stands.

The old Federal Building:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/OldDetroit/federalbuilding.jpg

A recent loss was the Statler Hotel which had been abandonded for about 20 years and was torn down in 2005 to "clean up" the city for the Superbowl. No new structure has replaced it.

The Statler Hotel:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/OldDetroit/statler01.jpg

Here is a picture of the Statler's destruction:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/DecoJim/StatlerHotel/statlerhotel20.jpg
(I took this picture.)

There are many more examples that I could post.

Some of Londons Lost Buildings :

The Oxford Arms Inn :

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7645/theoxfordarmsinnwarwicknp2.jpg

73 Cheapside :

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3007/no73cheapsidezl4.jpg

St Mary Overys Dock :

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9672/stmaryoverysdocklr2.jpg

Mappin And Webb Building :

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/1026-10-1-2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/MappinAndWebb2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/MappinAndWebb1.jpg

Gaiety Theatre :

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/Aldwych_web.jpg

Columbia Flower Market :

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/COLUMBIAMARKET.gif

here in Indianapolis we lost alot of amazing gems.

the old courthouse.
Demolished around 1962 for the new front gardens of an international styled shoebox.
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/indiana/counties/MarionCo6.jpg

the imperial hotel.
Demolished for a parking lot somewhere in the mid 20th century.
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/indiana/Counties/MarionCo3.jpg

the old english hotel, demolished for a hidiouse JC penny block,
thank god that JC peny block was demolished and replaced.
http://www.athsalumni.org/oldcircle.jpg

and thats not even a quarter of all that was lost.:bash:

I'm glad to have Cheung Kong instead of the Hilton :)

For Hong Kong, the whole area around the Legislative Council

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1893/1920victoriaharborov4.jpg

I also prefer the Cheung Kong Centre there though I miss the food at The Hilton :D

I think most of the old buildings throughout HK that are now gone are gems. Another gem now gone :D

http://www.watermarkpublications.com/001/html/kow.jpg

Hilton is not a classic. It's an ugly bland building and it was great to be rid of it. GPO was a masterpiece. Thank goodness they kept Murray House, albeit moved to Stanley from the Bank of China site.

here in Indianapolis we lost alot of amazing gems.

the imperial hotel.
Demolished for a parking lot somewhere in the mid 20th century.
http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/indiana/Counties/MarionCo3.jpg



wow......sorry to hear that

Hanoi

Bombed by the US, re-facaded by communist style
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/1943-Hanoi-Railroad-Station.jpg

Bao Thien pagoda:destroyed by the French
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/duonga1/03-2.jpg

Saigon
Presidential Palace: destroyed by coup attempt in the 60s, rebuilt in 60's style
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/PalaceOfIndependence.jpg

Row houses over canals: gradually jeopardised and demolished during the recent year, latest projection of a 8 lanes highway finally swept out the rest:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/1943-Saigon-Tram.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/Saigon20-20street20by20canal.jpg

wow......sorry to hear that

It will take time.. but the wounds will heal..

Hilton is not a classic. It's an ugly bland building and it was great to be rid of it. GPO was a masterpiece. Thank goodness they kept Murray House, albeit moved to Stanley from the Bank of China site.

Yup its not but Hilton was one of the first modern-era high-rises to be built in HK before Jardine House.

Yup its not but Hilton was one of the first modern-era high-rises to be built in HK before Jardine House.

I'd think the dawn of the modern era of the Hong Kong highrise began with the public housing & new town projects following the Shek Kip Mei fire in 1953.