Skyline Killers

[Doady]

Those Harbour Castle buildings blocking the view of the CN Tower is very exaggerated by the lens and the perspective. I use this effect sometimes in my photography. For example, for the "Snout Houses" thread, I used an ultra-wide angle converter to exaggerate the size of the driveways and the garages and block the view of the front doors of the houses. If I stood close enough, even the second floor of the houses could be blocked by the garage. I think that might be what is going on in that photo. The lens is pointed slightly upward, the horizon is at the bottom of the photo instead of in the middle, but it is less apparent because they correct the perspective distortion to make the vertical lines of buildings perfectly straight instead of converging upward to the sky.

[Klippenstein]

It's not really an issue from most angles, but from Fulton Market these four glass office buildings around the confluence of the river are disliked by most Chicago forumers.






Here they are from the South. Not quite as bad and monolithic, but you can see that the area is oversaturated with glass boxes.

[pj3000]

Hudson Yards - Manhattan

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Hudson Yards - Manhattan

Hopefully the 2nd half of the project (western yards) balances it out

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Nite

As Toronto waterfront skyline gets wider and tall you hardly notice the Harbour Castle buildings

The Sugar Wharf towers (these schlocky twins on the far right side) are far more offensive, given their prominence. They've single handedly cheapened the waterfront skyline view from the east.

[MonkeyRonin]

I'll also nominate One Manhattan Square for the way it sticks out like a sore thumb and unceremoniously looms over the Manhattan Bridge. The tower itself is otherwise bland, if inoffensive.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Manhattan_Square

[SIGSEGV]

And there's a certain ex-president whose towers tend to detract from skylines (even if the buildings themselves are often fine...the garish text is a killer).

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Hudson Yards - Manhattan

yeah, I can't help but think that too. Something just didn't come together. Plus more monolithic blue glass...

[twinpeaks]

[QUOTE=MonkeyRonin;9796599]I'll also nominate One Manhattan Square for the way it sticks out like a sore thumb and unceremoniously looms over the Manhattan Bridge. The tower itself is otherwise bland, if inoffensive.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Manhattan_Square this was sad to see overshadowing the beautiful Manhattan bridge. Maybe if there were other buildings or this was designed to compliment the bridge

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Klippenstein

I still much prefer the above to the the Great River North Biege-ification of the '00s <shudder>.

[WhipperSnapper]

LOL @ Harbour Square in Toronto. They were relevant in the skyline 10 years ago when they will the tallest structures in the neighbourhood. They are completely irrelevant when it comes to skyline depth now. By 2030, there will be a massive wall more than 2 times as tall to the east of them. That will be a partial skyline killer in perpetuity.

[PhilliesPhan]

For Philadelphia, it's definitely 2400 Chestnut:



https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/bui...artments/12454

[MolsonExport]

prior to re-cladding, this concrete wall in New York

[kool maudit]

That 2400 Chestnut is kind of awkwardly charming, though. It's just so 1970s, right down to the address font in orange up top.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

prior to re-cladding, this concrete wall in New York

I actually like the original better than the bizarre, half-assed attempt that is this piece of crap:



Why bother?

[Barney Greengrass]

I nominate San Diego. All of it. I won't trouble anyone with a photo.

Lovey city otherwise, they just need to retroactively implement a 15 floor height restriction.

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Boerumer

I nominate San Diego. All of it. I won't trouble anyone with a photo.

Lovey city otherwise, they just need to retroactively implement a 15 floor height restriction.

I'm not sure where this is coming from. I think San Diego's skyline is a fairly attractive and dense, but it's too short. San Diego has enough restrictions as it is.

Until recently nothing in San Diego could really be considered a skyline killer since most blocks closest to the waterfront were relatively undeveloped. A skyline killer could be in the works, however with a proposed bland and boxy hotel tower. It's only ~450 feet or so, but if built, it would work to cover up one of the more attractive and curvy towers in the City:

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

I'm not sure where this is coming from. I think San Diego's skyline is a fairly attractive and dense, but it's too short. San Diego has enough restrictions as it is.

Lindbergh Field is literally San Diego’s skyline killer.

[plinko]

37 replies in and nobody has mentioned the RenCen in Detroit? (to be clear I don’t dislike it, but it, along with Cobo and I-375 effectively cut off the riverfront from all but about 4 blocks of downtown.)

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Many have complained about the emerging walls of blue glass (condo towers sprouting like toadstools after the rain) spoiling Vancouver and Toronto's skylines.

I was going to mention this. I used to like Toronto's skyline 15 years ago. You could see the Financial District. Now those distinctive Modernist and Postmodern commercial buildings, and the Royal York, are buried behind cookie-cutter condos.