Which Miami Building Is The Ugliest?

18108 Views 99 Replies 33 Participants Last post by CalleOchoGringo, Jun 8, 2012

HialeahBred

Discussion Starter · May 3, 2007

I was thinking that at some point in time, if a high rise was ever to be imploded in Miami, it would probably be, the most ugly one in my opinion, and an older one as far as office buildings go, and one that could potentially just be revamped on the exterior, especially the facade, since it faces water.

Can you guess which one?

Hint: It rhymes with one of George Bush's Father's favorite sayings. :bash:

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spellbound

· #2 · May 3, 2007

HialeahBred said:
I was thinking that at some point in time, if a high rise was ever to be imploded in Miami, it would probably be, the most ugly one in my opinion, and an older one as far as office buildings go, and one that could potentially just be revamped on the exterior, especially the facade, since it faces water.

Can you guess which one?

Hint: It rhymes with one of George Bush's Father's favorite sayings. :bash:

My vote for ugliest would be that hideous thing across from the old Dade County courthouse on Flagler...the one with the blank concrete facade on the west side facing I-95 (don't know the name of the building).

That said, I couldn't help but notice your avatar. I don't know if you are aware of the band the "Eat" but they were absolutey the greatest punk band to come out of South Florida and influenced countless people in that scene...including myself. Eddie and Mike O'Brien, two of the founding members, remain friends today. Very cool to see that.

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kevinkagy

· #3 · May 3, 2007

There are so many ugly 60's concrete buildings in Miami that I don't even know WHERE to begin. Let's just say there's a lot that should be imploded.

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SoBe99

· #4 · May 3, 2007

What about some of the newer buildings in the last few years that are ugly....

coruna

· #5 · May 3, 2007

When you say high rise, which definition are you taking? You could say that a high-rise is only a building 300-400 feet or taller (30+ floors)....others could call anything over 12 floors a high-rise as the official definition states. Remember that a skyscraper is anything over 500 feet.

There are a lot of "mid-rises" under 300 feet in Miami that are old and should be imploded. There are a lot of smaller buildings under 12 floors that should be as well. However I don't think we have one really bad building when it comes to the 300-500 foot range or the 500+ foot range. Sun Trust International Center, New World Tower, and One Biscayne Tower all qualify in that category, all three are over 30 years old (New World Tower is 42), and they sit on prime real estate. However I think first we will see a lot of the mid-rises in Park West behind the Biscayne Wall demolished followed by some of the ugly buildings in Overtown and Midtown.

I personally think that demolition is the ultimate fate for the New World Tower (31 floors, 370 feet), which sits on prime real estate right next to the 50 Biscayne Tower and Everglades on the Bay. It's being dwarfed right now and it isn't that nice of a building from the outside. SunTrust and One Biscayne will probably stay because of their cultural significance to Miami's skyline from the 1980s, and SunTrust is actually a pretty nice building even though it's dated. Brickell doesn't even have that many old buildings, as most of them were either built in the boom of the 1980s or the boom of the 2000s, a few in the 90's, but very few if none are still standing that were built before 1980...and as we saw with the Sheraton they will even implode nasty buildings that aren't that old.....I think a few of the shorter towers in the northern part of Brickell from the '80s could see demolition in about 10 years......of all the buildings there right now I think the oldest are the Four Ambassadors condo towers from 1968, which could be demolished any day now. The CBD has very nice buildings for the most part IMO but there are a few retail buildings in the very center of the district that should be imploded IMO if someone was willing to build a skyscraper on the land......for example that very short Macy's building or one of the other old retail buildings under 20 floors around the western Flagler corridor in downtown.....

Of the newer buildings I have to say One Miami has the worst design.....other than that most of them have been acceptable and very nice, only a few spectacular, but for the most part they are nice and there are no eyesores at least.

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HialeahBred

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 3, 2007

High Rises

Coruna,

When you say high rise, which definition are you taking? You could say that a high-rise is only a building 300-400 feet or taller (30+ floors)....others could call anything over 12 floors a high-rise as the official definition states.

This is a bit too technical for my blood. :blahblah:

Let's go with 10 floors, that sounds good to me, or whatever the standard here is usually. I do not specify my life with many standards, seeing as how I am a free thinker who decides things for himself. I leave most other matters in life to the ascetics who would rather be obtrusive.:wave:

Nevertheless, you have guessed it, New World Tower is the building I had in mind. :cheer:

The exterior facing Biscayne could use improvement, it has been virtually untouched since construction back in 65'.

coruna

· #7 · May 3, 2007 (Edited)

3

NEW WORLD TOWER
100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL
Built in 1965
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Tower

An older picture from the mid 1980s of the New World Tower is posted below

I would really like to see a nice 800+ footer go up there (that would look nice to complement the nearby Empire World Towers and Wachovia Financial Center)......that is a tract of land very close to the city center, at NE 1st Street and Biscayne.....that tower is an eyesore because it owns a prime piece of real estate on the skyline, but I'd much rather have a bunch of 31 story buildings than one of those old 10 story retail buildings nestled in the center of the CBD along Flagler......IMO those shorter buildings need to be imploded and tall things should be built there before the NWT is gone......but you're right, that building is old and nasty compared to the newer, taller buildings in that area......and at some point, its demolition is inevitable.

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ftlauddude

· #8 · May 3, 2007

I dont think i could hate any building...they represented and still represent an era. It's like saying we hate the 60-year-old building we have in SoBe..they represent a style of construction that was huge during a certain period of time!....See my fav Miami building is the church in fron of the AA arena...the oldest building! Now, there r some that really tell us the amount of weed the designers were smoking while designing them..LOL but again they huge at a period time...

PD: what's the phrase ******* father (aka Bush sr) used to say?

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HialeahBred

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 3, 2007

Bush Sr.

He used to speak of the "New World Order" often during his long boring speeches, which would often cause many drivers to fall asleep at the wheel and end up in horrible accidents.

I don't know if "hate" is the best word to use towards an inanimate object like an office tower, seeing as how you can only have hatred towards a person. I don't "hate" any building, but I realize that some of the structures are unsafe and no longer in their time, considering the new wave looks that go up around them.

As far as the weed goes, I would suspect that they were using some sort of sensimelia blend, possibly columbian gold. I could be wrong though, they could have just been smoking some of that bunk that grows in the glades. :banana:

ftlauddude

· #10 · May 3, 2007

LOL...damn true..sometimes u ask urself what the hell they were thinking!...

By the way...thanks for the tip..now i know what u were talking about about ******* father...

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kevinkagy

· #11 · May 4, 2007

I have to agree, every building has its specific history and style from its time. I mean, Miami is such a young city compared to other major cities that any history we are fortunate to have, we should treasure. I would be very sad to see the New World Tower go even if it isn't the tallest building in the CBD. There is so much land to build on in downtown that I don't see the need to demolish it YET, first let's get rid of the inner two-story 70's buildings that serve no real purpose. Even if we don't build humongous towers on that land but atleast some more apartments, retail and offices, it's fine with me.

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BornInTheGrove

· #12 · May 4, 2007

As much as i dislike the New World Tower... i will defend it's place in Miami's skyline until it's fate lies with the wrecking ball.

The building gets automatic respect from me because of the fact it was here before me. That and, in the movie Scarface, towards the beginning of the movie just before the kitchen scene with Tony and Manny in "little havana", they show a mural of miami painted on the side of building.

They only skyscraper sticking out: New World Tower.

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kevin22

· #13 · May 4, 2007

i dont think miami has a lot of ugly buildings it may have a couple but it definetively does not have a lot at least in my opinion.

kevin22

· #14 · May 4, 2007

coruna said:
NEW WORLD TOWER
100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL
Built in 1965
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Tower

An older picture from the mid 1980s of the New World Tower is posted below

I would really like to see a nice 800+ footer go up there (that would look nice to complement the nearby Empire World Towers and Wachovia Financial Center)......that is a tract of land very close to the city center, at NE 1st Street and Biscayne.....that tower is an eyesore because it owns a prime piece of real estate on the skyline, but I'd much rather have a bunch of 31 story buildings than one of those old 10 story retail buildings nestled in the center of the CBD along Flagler......IMO those shorter buildings need to be imploded and tall things should be built there before the NWT is gone......but you're right, that building is old and nasty compared to the newer, taller buildings in that area......and at some point, its demolition is inevitable.

kool

HialeahBred

Discussion Starter · #15 · May 4, 2007

Scarface

The building gets automatic respect from me because of the fact it was here before me. That and, in the movie Scarface, towards the beginning of the movie just before the kitchen scene with Tony and Manny in "little havana", they show a mural of miami painted on the side of building.

One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Tony (AL Pacino) is out by the pool deck with Frank's wife (Michelle Pfiefer) and the following lines are spoken:

TONY: "It's gonna be good, you know me and you..." (something to that effect)

FRANK's WIFE: "But what about Frank??"

TONY: "Frank is not gonna last.... He finished."

LOL!

thetallerthebetter

· #16 · May 4, 2007

ok I really really REALLY HATE

that building on the southwest corner of washington and 5th st, I dont know what it's called but I hate the shape, the colors and that such a visible location has such a horse shit building on it, there I feel better

I'm sure those lit pannels are really cool to tourists but other than the cool lighting trick that building is hedious. It's supposed to be some kind of deco but it's really :lol: all 80's cheez

kevin22

· #17 · May 4, 2007

kevinkagy said:
I have to agree, every building has its specific history and style from its time. I mean, Miami is such a young city compared to other major cities that any history we are fortunate to have, we should treasure. I would be very sad to see the New World Tower go even if it isn't the tallest building in the CBD. There is so much land to build on in downtown that I don't see the need to demolish it YET, first let's get rid of the inner two-story 70's buildings that serve no real purpose. Even if we don't build humongous towers on that land but atleast some more apartments, retail and offices, it's fine with me.

yes miami is quite young compare to the other major cities, but hey comon history i think its boring yea people might like history but i dont so i like miami to be a young city like me and to have new stuff. its what makes the city so unique thats why its called "the magic city" by the way i think that nickname is awasome. i really like miami to be new thats why i love it well at least part of why i love it.

arch photographer

· #18 · May 4, 2007

IMO PORTOFINO TOWER is the ugliest building in Miami. And yes coruna it's one of the big ones. New World and One Biscayne are not HORRIBLE. they may not be good, but they are more like non events. Portofino Tower is GARISH in just about every way a building can be. First the color is hideous and to make that salmon even worse the aqua glass clashes so awfully with the mauvey pink terra whatever the f...

Then to stick Victorian bay windows on it, and that circular crown thing that is 3/4 of the way up it, is so random and unrelated to any other gesture of the building and to top it all off the put those stupid little pryramids all over the top of it that are completely out of scale with the rest of the building.

Those couple downtown might be Brutalist, but I'll take Brutalism, over Post Modernism and GARISH any day of the week. One Miami is not bad, its just disappointing, because it should be great, and they value engineered all the good stuff right out of it. The sculptural form atop One Miami is fairly successful, they should paint it and light it well!

IMO

That being said the Yacht Club and its stupid pyramid caps, and Sunset Harbour Towers, and its Palladian semi circle thing, on both of them! I also think is much worse than New World or One Biscayne

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arch photographer

· #19 · May 4, 2007

Actually I just saw that One Miami is lit! Way to go. I know, it's still disappointing.

PeterSmith

· #20 · May 4, 2007

thetallerthebetter said:
that building on the southwest corner of washington and 5th st, I dont know what it's called but I hate the shape, the colors and that such a visible location has such a horse shit building on it, there I feel better

I'm sure those lit pannels are really cool to tourists but other than the cool lighting trick that building is hedious. It's supposed to be some kind of deco but it's really :lol: all 80's cheez

I might have my directions entirely screwed up, but I think the building you're referring to is actually on the northeast corner of Washington and 5th. It's where the Specs Music is, no? I actually quite like it. The building on the southwest corner is the Burger King and China Grill, right? I think that is a pretty ugly building, but it definitely has Miami Beach running through its veins, so I'll let it pass.

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