ugliest building

dantes74

i wonder if there is any building uglier than the blue monstrosity at the end of carey's rd in this fair city

Arathorn

So many to choose from, what about williams court mall, or any of the shops on william street. Ugliest street in the country...

dantes74

must agree to a certain extent that william st lacks a bit of class and certainly could do with a bit of a make over except for joannes fashions, that's the only shop on the street with caracter

highlydebased

Agree with those comments....

What about the old dept of Agriculture building (Was it) The one that was knocked to make way for the riverpoint

The tax office is pretty ugly too IMo

MonsieurD

The guy who owns/built this (blue building on Carey's rd) must have lost a packet - it has never been occupied to the best of my knowledge.

MonsieurD

Recently on Boards, the discussion about the ugliness of the new Hilton is worth a look. Once the "newness" has worn off(takes about a year, I reckon), it will become evident to everybody that this reddish/brownish box took about a half an hour to dream up/design.

The other side of the ugliness coin is the (once) great buildings that are in Limerick but are now only a shadow of their former selves. I always look up at the main bus stop area on William St at the old "Boyds" and see the lovely red brick architecture. Now all that anyone sees is the crappy entrance to a Superdrug or Champion sport shop.

The "Kiosk" in the People's Park appears to have had some work (paint) done. This was a gem that was left to deteriorate.

Oh, one last gripe for now, the glass house siliconed onto King John's Castle. What was he/she on when they thought that was architecture??

1huge1

One building in particular is Brown Thomas on O Connell Street but the whole of lower William Street is poor as pointed out already.

Yeah I'd have to go with the glass structure attatched to King Johns castle too.It couldn't be any more out of place.It completely ruins the feel of the castle.There's also some awful looking appartments on the Dock Road,just past the roundabout near the Clarion.Regarding the newer architecture,I like the Clarion and Riverpoint but the Hilton and Absolute are a bit dull.The blue lights are the only thing making them look good at the moment.I must say though that I like the huge hole in the side of the Marriott for some reason.There's something different and unusual about it.

D-A-V-E

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah I'd have to go with the glass structure attatched to King Johns castle too.It couldn't be any more out of place.It completely ruins the feel of the castle.There's also some awful looking appartments on the Dock Road,just past the roundabout near the Clarion.Regarding the newer architecture,I like the Clarion and Riverpoint but the Hilton and Absolute are a bit dull.The blue lights are the only thing making them look good at the moment.I must say though that I like the huge hole in the side of the Marriott for some reason.There's something different and unusual about it.

haha iv got a good one lads, on william street have you ever noticed the building with no windows? its just a grey slab of plaster for the upper part? has to be the worst in the city! however i have to say i like the old red buildings opposite greenes cafe and over keans and that, can you imagine if they kept that deco and raised it to bout 15 stores with glass mixed in it, brought it down and around tohe corner past keanes and over easons etc? would look really cool, old and new mixed in.

Poxyshamrock

dantes74 wrote: »

i wonder if there is any building uglier than the blue monstrosity at the end of carey's rd in this fair city

Nah, that building isn't actually that ugly. It's just the fact that it's derelict and in a state of disrepair that makes it ugly.

1huge1 wrote: »

One building in particular is Brown Thomas on O Connell Street but the whole of lower William Street is poor as pointed out already.

Yeah, BT is baaad! And it wouldnt take much to make it nice. Just replace those manky white windows with modern glass and do something with the laths in between the glass.

D-A-V-E wrote: »

haha iv got a good one lads, on william street have you ever noticed the building with no windows? its just a grey slab of plaster for the upper part?

Yeah that's just terrible. There's nothing much you can do with that. You could get one of those massive ads to cover it though!

Pikasso

What about that modern monstrosity surrounded by grand Georgians that now fills the gap where Nellie Martin's used to be on O'Connell St ?

The cancerous growth attached to King John's.

Penneys!!!!!!!!!!!!

The old Dunnes on Sarsfield St.,

All the shop units at the back of Roches XXX sorry, Debenham's,

Any bank in town (are there exceptions?)

The dole office.

The casino

Denmark St!!!

1huge1

I forgot about the old dunnes oddly enough, no argument there

Oh and the new halifax bank is really nice pikasso though its really just part of a new building down there anyway.

highlydebased

Yes the Dunnes on Sarsfield Street......yuck!

Actually what are your opinions on the refurbishment of Thomas Street/Bedford Row? I think it looks way better...especially the blue lights around the pedestrian crossing at night!!

Lore

I think Bedford Row looks pretty good. John's Castle is a disgrace though, what a thing to do to such an old structure. The new Dunne's at Harvey's Quay could do with a clean, that glass cover they got coming out the front has way to much green moss and gunk on it now and the damn thing is useless at keeping off the rain.

D-A-V-E

ideally what they should have done with bedford row, instead of putting in a typical european looking building, they should have put in a copy of what was beside the big glass (marriot hotel) and the whole block would look a lot more uniform..and look better, basically copying what the marriot looks like and use that in bedford row rather than that boring grey thing! anyone agree? i know maybe it wasent suitable due to funds or whatever the reason but would give a nice look to the area!

Lore

With all this redevelopment going on the whole city will probably end up a mismatch of modern architecture. Besides unless the Mariott gets cleaned often, it's going to get streaked with dirt and grime soon enough. Same with the George and the Hilton.

ninty9er

It has to be Brown Thomas...the castle monstrosity was necessary though.... I know someone who's a friend with the architect's wife.

They wanted to keep it stone, but they found the houses underneath when digging for foundations and had to stop. That glass monstrosity is kind of preched as opposed to founded in the ground.

zilog_jones

Lore wrote: »

The new Dunne's at Harvey's Quay could do with a clean, that glass cover they got coming out the front has way to much green moss and gunk on it now and the damn thing is useless at keeping off the rain.

It was always useless at sheltering from the rain - there's a big stupid gap inbetween the glass and the building! It used to be worse as there were gaps inbetween the panes too. One of the many reasons why I got a car last year

Brown Thomas is indeed fugly. This is what it replaced:

Note this picture also portrays the reason why replacement occured.

Upon searching for that I found this link with many more pictures of Limerick - old and new: http://www.archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?p=52563

I second Sarsfield Street Dunnes too. Why does it still exist even? Do we not have enough Dunnes?

To add to the list: Every school in the city built in the 60s/70s, e.g. Ardscoil Rís (I went to that dump!).

Poxyshamrock

zilog_jones wrote: »

To add to the list: Every school in the city built in the 60s/70s, e.g. Ardscoil Rís (I went to that dump!).

Yeah, there's not many nice looking schools around the place. Only nice ones i can think of are CBS, The Model and Munchins.

1huge1

zilog_jones wrote: »

It was always useless at sheltering from the rain - there's a big stupid gap inbetween the glass and the building! It used to be worse as there were gaps inbetween the panes too. One of the many reasons why I got a car last year

Brown Thomas is indeed fugly. This is what it replaced:
Note this picture also portrays the reason why replacement occured.

Upon searching for that I found this link with many more pictures of Limerick - old and new: http://www.archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?p=52563

I second Sarsfield Street Dunnes too. Why does it still exist even? Do we not have enough Dunnes?

To add to the list: Every school in the city built in the 60s/70s, e.g. Ardscoil Rís (I went to that dump!).

Ya the building that occupied brown thomas before whats there now was quiet nice


OH and about the new Dunnes, well it could do with a clean but I still think its a impressive building

bazz26

I think Penny's clock is one eye sore. Considering it was a well established land mark before they renovated it back in the late 1980s.

Should be made restore it properly imo.

steveon

As if the building in Careys road wasn't ugly enough it has just been spruced up with a new paint job...an even uglier, brighter blue color than before......I wish they had knocked the building along with all the flats they knocked recently

1huge1

They painted that empty blue building? maybe somebody bought it

steveon

More so threatened to clean it up as its a feckin eyesore...from the outside but the apartments on the top are ace...

Poxyshamrock

1huge1 wrote: »

They painted that empty blue building? maybe somebody bought it

Yeah think so too, pass that building most days on my way to town and saw yesterday (while they were painting it) someone taking away the massive chesser sale sign

steveon

I have the misfortune of seeing it everyday as Im a native of Careys Rd.....long Live frosts bar

Poxyshamrock

steveon wrote: »

I have the misfortune of seeing it everyday as Im a native of Careys Rd.....long Live frosts bar

haha those were the days! i only ever remember it closed down though and i remember that bar where the panda tool hire is aswell

sioda

Leave the poor KJC building alone it is ugly but it is preserving our history would you prefer what happened to Wood quay in dublin??

1huge1

KJC building? Were is that now?, It sure sint the blue building because that aint preserving any history I know of...

Sorry I'm terrible with names of building, roads etc

sioda

KJC King Johns Castle

1huge1

Ah ya i'm sure if I actually put a bit of thought into that I would of got it... ahem

highlydebased

I also agree the visitor centre yoke in front of the castle is yuck.


What about Limerick's best looking buildings? LOL?

sioda

OK I am open to alternatives to the King Johns Castle building that will actually stand and not destroy the houses underneath.

Any ideas?

As for the ugliest building gotta go with Todds and all of cruises street

Comhrá

A few weeks ago I posted here about what I perceived to be ugliness of the new Hilton on the Ennis Road. Looking at the new almost completed building behind the hotel, overlooking O'Callaghan's Strand, well, I think that building is even worse-looking than the hotel. It's dark and sombre with a proliferation of what looks like fire-escapes visible to the front.
That, combined with the brown brick finish and the sand-coloured walls makes it a good contender for the title of, at least, the ugliest new building in Limerick IMHO.

John.

1huge1

I really don't think the Hilton is as bad as you make it out to be... Though I also disagree with people when they say the clarion is ugly. So maybe my opinions are well in the minority.

vkid

i'd agree with that. The Hilton is not bad at all and I do like the Clarion..one of the best examples of high rise in the country imo.

Poxyshamrock

Hilton mightn't be the taj mahal but it beats the old jurys by a mile
same goes with the clarion, a high rise hotel or a cattle shed? take your pick

sioda

Biggest problem with the clarion is it could have been river point

Poxyshamrock

Blue Building on Careys Road looks like it's been bought! There's a sign on it now saying "Writers Corner" :-S

highlydebased

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Blue Building on Careys Road looks like it's been bought! There's a sign on it now saying "Writers Corner" :-S

WTF? Writers corner? Is it going to be a bookshop?!?!?

Poxyshamrock

wait wait change that to speakers corner

talkingclock

the building seems to be occupied. the windows are repaired, on the top floor are courtains and a kitchen cabinet is visible... and i personally think it's not to bad...

1huge1

The big question, is it still blue?

Poxyshamrock

1huge1 wrote: »

The big question, is it still blue?

Yep, it's bluer than it was! haha

sioda

The curtains and the kitchen cabinets were always there

Poxyshamrock

sioda wrote: »

The curtains and the kitchen cabinets were always there

yeah and the light in the hall was always on!

Poxyshamrock

Passed it today and it isn't sold. they just made it more sellable looking!