Central Square? The Savoy? 2016 Main? The Tennison Hotel?

I think most of your choices are dead on target. But, the Geo. R. Brown is just so outrageously stupid that it belongs in a category of its own. The only thing worse than the exterior of Houston House is the interior. I felt like I was in Liberace's crypt.

The good thing about architecture is, what we consider to be ugly and dated now, will some day become a classic style from the past. Maybe someday students of architecture will study the meaning and significance of those silly features of the GRB. I think people are to eager to renovate, just wait 50 years and you will have something special.

Anyone remember the World Trade Center downtown? That was pathetic and ugly. I doubt any trade went on there. I think they were gracious enough to tear it down. What about the Milam hotel by the ballpark. I hate this bldg the most. It looks like they may implode it and I hope to christ they do.

I dont think it deserves to be in the top 10. There are many more unsightly buildings downtown. it seems you cannot get any further than 5 blocks away from your own warehouse building painted to look like a real building.

One of you wonders why I didn't include three more buildings from within five blocks of my office, while another of you says I am lazy for including too many from same.

Martin: I like Central Square and the Savoy. They are neglected, but not ugly. I don't think the Tennison is that bad, if I am thinking of the right building.

2016 Main is outside of the Pierce and thus not Downtown for my purposes. It is ugly, but I consider it in Midtown.

Will: Yeah, I was thinking of doing a separate post of Houston's wackiest buildings, but I don't know...I start too many projects at once, and I'll never get any of them done.

JohntheMick: Maybe so, maybe no. I read that people hated the Federal Courthouse went it was built, and supposedly we like it now. I haven't talked to many people who like it.
One thing I really hate about the GRB has nothing to do with its appearance; I hate that it sprawls across about six or seven East End streets, cutting off part of the city from downtown. At the time, the impulse was to wall off the east side riffraff. Now, it's just a traffic nightmare.

Keith: Agree about the WTC. I think Hakeem bought thought and blew it up and is sitting on the real estate. The Milam is pretty nondescript and very neglected, but there are much uglier buildings. (It probably would be one of the Top 3 eyesores downtown, since it is where it is, right buy the baseball field.)

TJ: What do you mean? Seven of the 10 buildings here -- the GRB, the Alley, the Federal Courthouse, Divorce Court, the Harris Co. Admin building, and the Kim Son garage -- are all much further away than five blocks. All told, I walked about five miles taking those pictures.

I have always thought that the Alley looks like the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz movie.

I guess the design is too sophisticated for Houston.

Most of these aren't ugly at all. I don't know what the person posting this is talking about.

It's certainly got a very phallic appearance to it...

I find it ironic that you would talk about historic preservation in the entry about the Kim Son parking garage, then put the Family Law building, that was part of a major fight a couple years back. The county wanted to tear that building down, and start fresh, but conservationists fought to keep its distinctive architecture. This is a great list, BTW.

Dear Keith, comment #4

The World Trade Center is actually the Ballpark Inn today. It was completely renovated by Landry's.