Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

[pzarquon]

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin's award-winning humor columnist Charles Memminger wants to know, "What is the ugliest building in Honolulu?"

I suppose buildings of all shapes and sizes are eligible, but I think the bigger, taller, and more expensive the better. You could just browse through the Honolulu set at Skyscrapers.com...

I actually like the First Hawaiian Tower, though I know I'm in the minority. I also like Harbor Court. For "ugliest building," I have to go with Kukui Tower in downtown. Simply because there is absolutely no personality to it at all.

[1stwahine]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

AKEPO ARMS on N. King Street and THE LAI FONG BUILDING on Nuuanu Ave. (across Indingo's)! Now, that's really UGLY!

[kimo55]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

THE LAI FONG BUILDING on Nuuanu Ave. (across Indingo's)! Now, that's really UGLY!

wow. This is your vote? With all the ugly bunkers, skyscrapers, and nameless, faceless characterless rattraps covering kakaako and slowly covering Kapiolani, ala moana blvd and most anywhere else they can?!
have you no heart, no sentiment, no foresight, no sense of tradition, nostalgia, appreciation for lowlying buildings containing shops hearkening back to the good ol days?
the cool, funky facades of the 40's and 50's are too quickly being supplanted with chrome, glass, concrete towering infernal scene and view obliterators. ANY vestige of the past we must hang onto, lest the developers claim the discarding or even underappreciation of the old style is another justification for the destruction and overdevelopment of our Honolulu...

[kupomog]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

I haven't a clue, but I would put my own termite-eaten house up for nomination if I could.

[kimo55]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

wants to know "What is the ugliest building in Honolulu?"

One waterfront tower.
Those ugh a lee monstrocities look like twin marching vaccum cleaners sucking up all old small structures in their path... in an un-godly godzilla-like manner.

The yellow tinkertoy structure along nimitz just D.H. of the xerox building.
Many people have uttered, as they shook their heads in amazement, while whincing at the glance of that abomination; "the one who designed and created that shot be shot!"

The ugly desecrating multistory bunker separating our Hawaii from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
We had a great view of the Hotel, then greed and a complete lack of respect for Hawaiian tradition, history and its royalty of old, erected this temple of shopping and mindless consumerism. again; shoot them too.

Century center. so name because for at least a full century, countless members of the puiblic unfortunate enough to have taken just one gaze toward this ill designed dangerous firetrap sh!+box piece of junk, will forever feel their aesthetic sense damaged, their retina burned, and also will always wonder why would anyone create a dark glass hot reflective/absorbtive thing like that, prone to dangerous fires, (as we have been witness to, too many times...)

[1stwahine]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

wow. This is your vote? With all the ugly bunkers, skyscrapers, and nameless, faceless characterless rattraps covering kakaako and slowly covering Kapiolani, ala moana blvd and most anywhere else they can?!
have you no heart, no sentiment, no foresight, no sense of tradition, nostalgia, appreciation for lowlying buildings containing shops hearkening back to the good ol days?
the cool, funky facades of the 40's and 50's are too quickly being supplanted with chrome, glass, concrete towering infernal scene and view obliterators. ANY vestige of the past we must hang onto, lest the developers claim the discarding or even underappreciation of the old style is another justification for the destruction and overdevelopment of our Honolulu...

Eh, getting back at me from da odda post, eh? for your information, I know the owners personally for Lai Fong! Although I respect them and glad we're friends...I know they haven't kept up with the building because dey no like spend da money to fix it up. Hence, the upstairs is ready to collapse, the windows has boards just like some of their other properties. Indingo's got mad due to their customers and complained but all the owners did was fix the window display which didn't change for who knows how many years! I love old vintage things, buildings, clothes etc. What I hate, is old grumpy men who think they know everything...wish they would put their heads (no pun intended) in the toilet bowl and come out more humble.

[kimo55]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Eh, getting back at me from da odda post, eh?

Yea... thass me. I'm all about gettin back at people for their previous posts. You got my number. That is the only reason I write here...
Aunty, you are just too perceptive.

Indingo's got mad due to their customers

what does this mean, please?

the window display which didn't change for who knows how many years!

nuttin wrong widdat.

[1stwahine]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Yea... thass me. I'm all about gettin back at people for their previous posts. You got my number. That is the only reason I write here...
Aunty, you are just too perceptive.

Kimo...you win........dis time!

[kimo55]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Kimo...you win........dis time!

win?
Aunty, dis not a contest.

I want to know... what do you mean:
"Indingo's got mad due to their customers"

don't like seeing neighbors in that area not getting along.. Love indigo and I have been going into the lai Fong shop (and others like it that are long gone) for about 4 decades and I love places like that.
Too many of these old low buildings have been destroyed to make room for the new standard of cheap ugly structures... far too many.

[pzarquon]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Ahem. Getting back on topic...

I'm sure there are lots of "ugly" buildings that would qualify due to neglect and the like. But I think Kimo's got the right idea. I think Memminger - or I am, at least - is looking for buildings that look exactly the way the designer intended, but said designer's design is still ugly.

I'd like to add the Waikiki Twin Towers, although they have that "look" that most tall buildings built in the late 60s, early 70s have. They annoy me because they're "twin towers," but they're not.

Kimo, I like that you mentioned the Nimitz Business Center. I personally think it was uglier before (when it was just flat with red awnings), but I can see where you're coming from. Clearly the designer went with "distinctive at any cost," even if it meant sticking bizarre yellow doodads all over the place. Kind of like the ridiculous neon tower above the Mililani Theatres.

I forgot about One Waterfront. They're hideous, but I'm used to them already. I've heard them called everything from giant speakers to King Kong's urinals. Heh. With all the development planned for the area, I live in fear that those two things will set the "theme" for future buildings.

On the list of "love it/hate it" buildings has to be the Waikiki Landmark.

[1stwahine]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

win?
Aunty, dis not a contest.

I want to know... what do you mean:
"Indingo's got mad due to their customers"

don't like seeing neighbors in that area not getting along.. Love indigo and I have been going into the lai Fong shop (and others like it that are long gone) for about 4 decades and I love places like that.
Too many of these old low buildings have been destroyed to make room for the new standard of cheap ugly structures... far too many.

Hmmm...Well, Mary...oh, excuse me, Kimo, apparently the owners (friends of Harris) complained to The City and County Division when Harris was Mayor. So either they fixed it up a little to make it look presentable, be fined for being deemed not safe. Even with fixing up the place, the whole area stinks with urine, druggies and chronics! Even by the new parking lot. Drug and Illegal activities going about old and new buildings...yeah Kimo, this is not a CONTEST! Know anybody that I can contact to make a true documentary of the real problems in Chinatown? Both at the vintage and new buildings...all the actions going on in hawai'i nei!

[kimo55]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Ahem. Getting back on topic...

hey. I myself never deviated... let it go on record...

King Kong's urinals.

THAT'S what they reminded me of all this time!
Couldn't quite put my finger on it. No pun intended.

With all the development planned for the area,...

which is another depressing but good thread subject:
Kapiolani and Ward. Another 35 story condo building going up. Ala moana is beginning to resemble wilshire blvd. east of westwood blvd. the highrise resdiential area.
Another tall condo building going up diagonal from Kinko's on Queen and south street.


ok.. with allll this why do people STILL insist on asking that myopic question; what is the remedy for the traffic? lite rail? staggered work hours?
Stop overdeveloping our limited space!

On the list of "love it/hate it" buildings has to be the Waikiki Landmark

just thinkin about that: what an affrontery; landmark indeed. Iolani palace is a landmark. Academy of arts is a landmark. An ugly highrise built a decade ago is NOT a landmark.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

O god, it's got to be either the Waikiki Landmark or the Imperial Plaza.

[pzarquon]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

This is the Imperial Plaza. It is garish, yes. My wife has always thought there was something distinctively... phallic about it.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Ugliest Building in Honolulu?

Nauru Towers...the half round one with the unfinished protrusions hanging out everywhere in Kakaako.

The Gold Bond building...absolutely no character at all.

The Honolulu C&C building...are they making a totalitarian statement or what!