Winning for Being Ugly

By Matt Wood in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 3, 2006 6:28PM

Last week we solicited opinions on Chicago's scariest places, this week: ugly buildings. The Chicago Journal is running a feature collecting submissions for the town's fugliest structures, which, we suppose, could also be thrown into the scary category if you're an architect or happen to own property next to one of these turds.

The candidates so far tend be failed attempts at modernist new construction condos with ill-advised decks and mismatched tiers that make them look like a wobbly piles of shoeboxes. Some of the ugliness comes from being out of context as well, like the three-story brute sandwiched in between two mid-century ranches near Wolcott and Ohio. Our favorite though, is University Hall on the UIC campus (pictured right), just southwest of Halsted and Harrison. One commenter describes it as a "communist tenement hall." The building is actually wider at the top than at its base. Chicagoist has heard an urban legend that it has bullet-proof glass even on the highest floors to protect against rock-throwing student protesters. If any such cannon-armed students exist, please report to Clark and Addison, and ask for a Mr. Piniella.

What are some of your (least) favorite ugly buildings in Chicago? And remember to submit your entry for Chicago's ugliest building to the Chicago Journal.