Washington DC

DC Eyesore: J. Edgar Hoover Building Ugliest in US, Survey Says

The Watergate Complex was listed as the fourth ugliest building in the U.S.

NBC Universal, Inc.

The J. Edgar Hoover Building and the Watergate Complex are considered some of the ugliest buildings in the U.S., according to a new survey.

The J. Edgar Hoover Building was listed as number one in the survey conducted by home improvement company Buildworld. It was followed by Boston City Hall, the Verizon Building in New York City, the Watergate Complex and the Denver International Airport in Colorado.

Buildworld created the survey by compiling a list of buildings often considered ugly and then analyzing the percentage of negative tweets about the building’s designs, according to their website.

The J. Edgar Hoover Building is located in downtown D.C. and is the headquarters of the FBI. The brutalist building has a concrete facade and was built in the 1960s to 70s, according to the FBI’s website.

“While contrasting with the traditional marble, granite, or limestone government buildings, it echoed a major architectural style of the 1960s. The concrete was poured into reusable steel forms separated by metal ties,” the website reads.

The Watergate Complex, known for the Watergate scandal, is located at the Georgetown waterfront. It was designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti and constructed in the 1960s.

According to the Watergate Hotel’s website, when Moretti’s design was first unveiled the building’s design was considered “as appropriate as a strip dancer performing at your grandmother’s funeral.”

The survey also listed the J. Edgar Hoover Building as the second ugliest building in the world behind the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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