Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Which new building looks the most out of place in the East Village?

In the last month or so, we've posted items on the unveiling of several new buildings around the neighborhood... in three of the cases, we heard from people who thought the new buildings looked really out of place alongside their neighbors ... like when we mentioned 100 Third Ave. yesterday.

So... with that in mind... which of these new buildings that we've seen in the last month seem the most out of place to you (this has nothing to do with the amenities and what not on the inside... just purely from how they fit in the skyline) ...

So.

532 E. Fifth St.


219 First Ave.

[Via evilnyc]

100 Third Ave.


A little out of bounds and not quite as new as the first three ... but I'd toss in 290 Mulberry at the corner of Houston... as BoweryBoogie noted, workers recently replace the years-old plywood around the perimeter...


We could do one of those fancy widget poll things ... but if you just want to weigh in with an opinion in the comments... [Please note: "All of them" will be accepted as an answer.]

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

They're all so everwhelmingly beautiful and suiyed to the Lower East Side of Manh (its officially the EV, yes) that I do not know where to begin

James Maher said...

Why is silver/gray synonymous with luxury buildings these days. For jewelry I get it, but for buildings it's so drab and ugly.

I vote for any new silver buildings.

JM said...

Is the correct answer e) all of the above?

Actually, compared to the rest, that one on 1st Ave. isn't that bad. Must be the clever use of brick to break up the usual monotony.

glamma said...

i'd call it a four-way tie

Anonymous said...

All of them.

Zach L. said...

As ugly as they all are...nothing is worse than a mid block finger building.

Anonymous said...

My vote is for the Cooper Union Un-building on 6th Street.

- East Villager

Anonymous said...

I actually kinda like the one on 1st ave. At least they kept the facade...

Marty Wombacher said...

I'll go along with "all of the above" pun somewhat intended.

Anonymous said...

You forgot the one one 3rd street between ave a and b. But I guess their numbers are growing so rapidly its hard to keep track.

Joe Jusko said...

I grew up on 5th St. so I'm going with that one but they all look ridiculous down there.

Anonymous said...

I think all of the buildings are trying to be contextual by keeping the window lines, for example. I especially like the one of 13th & 1st for trying to maintain the historic building mass in the form of brick and representing the new design or insertion to the site as glass. But I think the first building fails in this regard. While I don't necessarily consider it ugly, per say, I don't see it's connection to the East Village.

Laura Goggin Photography said...

I second Cooper Union as the worst. May I also vote for the as-yet-to-be-built Astor Place shark fin?

Anonymous said...

This collection of pictures together just, fucking, makes me weep.
That is all.

DV said...

I agree with some above - due to its size and setting the still relatively new Cooper Union building and the darth vadar building they are proposing are really slaps in the face to the character of the neighborhood. I find it amazing this school has an architecture department.

But of those you put up, I'd pick 100 3rd ave - the others make at least some nods to fitting into the buildings around them - this one reminds me of that old Sesame Street song ''one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just does not belong..."

evilnyc said...

While they are all bad, the one on 3rd ave has to be the worst. No context whatsoever. I can only hope that one day all of these metal facades turn to rust.

The one on 13th I have to see every day, so I've made my peace with it. I still find it humorous that this, um, unique design was dictated by an exterior wall collapsing.

Anonymous said...

East 5th for sure. I've lived in the building next to it for years and it took 5 of them to deal with the construction of this environmentally friendly eyesore of a tax write off. It wouldn't be so bad if Cabrini on the other side of me wasn't closing too.

Anonymous said...

Write in vote for that blue glass thing on Astor Place that supposed to be shaped like a piano.

Uncle Waltie said...

Cooper Union takes the cake. A school dedicated to Science, Engineering and Architecture manages to erect one of the ugliest buildings in one of the world's greatest cities.

glamma said...

oh obviously the forthcoming DEATH STAR on Astor Place will trump them all.. It addition to being horrendous, it will also transform the east village into midtown - the worst offense of all.

Anonymous said...

"Death Star" is the perfect name for the new monstrosity to be build on Astor Place. The original building was also ugly, but was bland enough that it could be ignored. This one says: I AM EVIL!!! FEAR ME!

- East Village Slav