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22 Times Buildings Were Renovated And Some Say They Now Look Worse Than They Were Before
Beauty is subjective, beauty is in the eye of the beholder—most of us were taught to never judge a book by its cover. Or, more simply put, to not be superficial. However, scientists argue that aesthetic appreciation of beauty is hard-wired into our brains—we can't escape it. Subconsciously or consciously, we all like to look at beautiful creatures, be it an animal, or a building.
Therefore, some people that are more leaning towards traditional architecture are worried that the notion of beauty in buildings is fading away. As cities all over the world are experiencing globalization, the newly designed buildings can sometimes look awfully alike, even if they were built thousands of miles apart. We're all familiar with the glass boxes in the prestigious areas of cities, that, according to some, are lacking that certain kind of charm, or je ne sais quoi, that makes them unique in their own way. But before we get all judgy, we want to let you decide what you think of these building renovations. Bored Panda has made you a list of before and after pictures of some buildings around the world that were renovated in a way that didn't sit right with some people. Do they look good to you? Scroll down below to see them all and tell us your opinion!
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#1
Felix Feline 5 years ago
Millions of Euros to cover the building with mirrors and steel. How many birds are killed each year by this?
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
The roof also got lowered, it seems, so my guess is it actually burned down? No idea where this is.
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Monika Soffronow 5 years ago (edited)
This is Château de Rentilly, France. "All the buildings on the estate were converted into spaces for art." (https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/parc-culturel-de-rentilly-michel-chartier), and here is a videofrom the inauguration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWFj_EDpyFg
EA 5 years ago
RIP to all the birds who will now die from flying into this idiotic excuse for a house :(
Melissa Wong 5 years ago
No!!!! This physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually pained me.
RELATED:
#2
Marco Conti 5 years ago
From a ordinary church to an extraordinary, world breaking shed. The size of the garden tools must be gigantic.
#3
H Edwards 5 years ago
There was a lot of this in the 1960s, tearing down beautiful old buildings and replacing them with concrete monstrosities. We have better protections for heritage architecture now.
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Even more in the late 1940s--early 1950s, can't imagine what happened just before that. [Hint, it's England. Don't mention the W.]
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Jonathan 5 years ago
This is Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The original Boots pharmacy building had statues of poets which were subsequently 'lost' when put into storage. The whole street is littered with monstrosities.
Crowley 4 years ago
Oh yes I have seen this building and the first one was soooooo much more (dont know the word for it ) elegant
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k1ddkanuck 5 years ago
I HATE brutalist architecture. We have so much of it in Southern Ontario, and it's bloody ugly.
Sanne H. 5 years ago
I’ve seen some fascinating Brutalism in former Yugoslavia, so to my opinion it does exist, but I agree that it’s ugly most of the time. Especially when replacing older characteristic buildings like in this example.
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person (i think) 5 years ago
This is another one that was a total tear down and re-build, not a "renovation"
Torchicachu 5 years ago
literally the sign says beauty but they took out the most beautiful part
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
This is sad. The 1960s and 70s saw a lot of cities all over Europe have their character destroyed for ever by city planners and developers.
#4
Marco Conti 5 years ago
Take a stately looking building and rebuild it with LEGO. What could go wrong?
kira griffin 5 years ago
the first building had such a warm and welcoming color, this one is just..... ugly.
#5
Nizumi 5 years ago
Now this one I know: It's one of the new mega-hospitals in Montreal. The church was going to be demolished completely. The architect kept some of it to work it into the design. You can find it on google maps. Same thing was done further up the same street (St. Denis) for one of the entrances to UQAM. I'm in total agreement with the comment about mirror buildings. All I see is hundreds of dead birds per building..... https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.51184,-73.5563959,3a,75y,189.01h,108.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHK4GfZFoRDNZUDOdIhW-cQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Jessica Nametz 5 years ago
I am guessing the tower of the church was declared a national landmark and that's why it's still there and they built the rest around. Big yuck...
Alyssa Fry 5 years ago
This just made me look at the pic and think god what has time done to us??
Sarina Greenhaven 5 years ago
What is up with people liking giant mirrors instead of buildings?
mermaidgirl960 5 years ago
Gosh, maybe to look at their dumb reflections...
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#6
Samantha Lomb 5 years ago
Also Russia, but this cladding just clips on so it could be removed and the oдвук building is still under there
Dynein 5 years ago
Standardized European traffic signs. Perfect for a small continent with many small countries and different languages. US Americans might drive for a day and still stay in Texas - Europeans will generally cross one border at LEAST, more likely several, if they do that. Language-based traffic signs would be a hassle - as a German I'd be alright in Austria and Switzerland, but e.g. in France, Denmark, Poland (all of which I've been to, and which have very different languages), I'd be lost. The standardized traffic signs based on colors and shapes solve that issue pretty well.
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person (i think) 5 years ago
At least this one looks like they may have encased the old building in such a way that the new stuff can be removed at some point if someone wanted to invest in renovation.
Harley Hoglin 5 years ago
WTF. Cleaned if all that paint the old one would have really been a show piece.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
Now, if it’s no longer a jail, and the new owners wanted to erase what they might see as the jail stigma, I can see why they rid the building of everything that looks like a jail. Does NOT, however, forgive plastering over and flattening all the distinctive and rather attractive outer wall design.
#7
Tabernus 5 years ago
Birmingham central library .... There's a reason the style is called 'brutalist'
Emyo Jennifer Nakayama 5 years ago
I hate the trend towards everything as "modern". The old styles were often exquisite examples of art and craftsmanship.
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
City council out to lunch when this was approved by the cleaning staff?
#8
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
i automatically assume most of these buildings were destroyed in a war.
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
All my life, and I’m 59, I have despised that cement box style of building—-a loathing that multiplies exponentially when I discover that the fugly box sits on ground that once boasted an absolutely stunning older structure.
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
The ONLY reason this happened was the original was lost in the war and this was minimally better than the hole in the ground. Throw in some pot holes and shrapnel marks on the bricks and it could at least be marked as Immediate Post War. If you meet your friends in front of it, you don't have to look at it.
Danilo Radojcin 5 years ago
this one is getting even better - it's the main post office building near to the old railway station in Belgrade. In the meantime - they've decided to build a GIANT monument, larger than this building, and place it just a couple of hundred meters away, and the monument looks like somebody played a lot of knight-themed video games... Serbia is going through some pretty depressing stages right now...
#9
Joonscrab 5 years ago
Actually I like both of these. I think the angle of the second photo makes it look like that... But up close, it'll look magnificent, especially considering it's a public building.
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Raine Soo 5 years ago
I have been to the Royal Ontario Museum. Walking through the front entrance at street level, you don't realize that the building is encased in so much steel and glass. This aerial view makes it look painful. Otherwise, they have well curated exhibits there.
Auburn Mc 5 years ago
I always thought it looked like the building was throwing up onto the street. Close to Dundas Square, but feels out of place compared to the rest of the block. Definitely, instantly recognizable and agree on the well curated exhibits.
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Aunt Messy 5 years ago
It's the Royal Ontario Museum, and the old building was tiny by comparison, ugly, and bunker like. This is flat out gorgeous.
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Sent From The Slytherin House 5 years ago
"Let's make a GIANT abstract art painting!" "Nah. How about a BUILDING?"
#10
Popcorn Colonel 5 years ago
OMG! The first pic was really cute! Why would ANYONE do such a thing?
Artor Oak 5 years ago
I suspect because the original building was centuries old and decaying, and no longer safe to occupy. I don't think it counts as a renovation though, when the original building is gone, and the replacement shares nothing but the former space.
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steven elwell 5 years ago
This is Tamworth in the UK, IF you spin around 180 from that ugly view you will see a beautiful old church: https://goo.gl/maps/SDmXspjVCN6eAmuXA. and then just around the corner is the Castle from the Anglo Saxon Times https://goo.gl/maps/D1MTVX21coBAzZoU6
#11
ShawtyCantComeToThePhone 5 years ago
hey janice let's replace this beautiful building with a yellow block
doneisdone 5 years ago
People actually go to school to learn how to design blocks. Sad
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Marco Conti 5 years ago
Once again, what little character the old building had, was obliterated by the same people that design the Amazon Prime boxes.
Joyous Cat Birb 5 years ago
that shade isn't the best choice for a building
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Felicity Lemon 5 years ago
They did but the new building looks good too. I like the artistic style
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HissyFitzz 5 years ago
I uh.. kinda like it. Not better than the original I just think it looks real cool.
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
I love the old one, and in a different location, I'd like the new one. I think it's weird and interesting
Whizzle Pop 5 years ago
The new one is a superb piece of post-modernist architecture, and it is now actually PROTECTED by law in the UK system. Not only that, but it's listed as II*, which places it in the top 8 percent of all protected buildings in England. You can read about why it is special here- https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1428881
Valerie Page 5 years ago
Thank you so much for this link. I'm now looking through new eyes. Lovely building gone but it was only a shop after all and the words "safety regulations" hit a chord. We like safety ... and toilets! I'll go and have a look at it when this pandemic dies down.
Load More Replies... Curry on... 5 years ago
The new one isn't so bad, but they should have built it on a vacant lot and left the old one standing.
#13
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
It’s this really cool invention called an electronic device.
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Kitty Fenerty 5 years ago
I don’t know if I can carry on down this list? My eyes are bleeding.
Popcorn Colonel 5 years ago
What I don't get is that they keep the general shape and throw all the beauty and architecture of the window. SMH
Sent From The Slytherin House 5 years ago
Must've been drunk when they designed it. "WeLL BObBy, wE ShOULd- WhoOPs- wELL It *hiccup* LoOKs BEtTEr WheN It'S SWervy..." *passes out*
Elaine Dodge 2 years ago
I can't look at any more of these. I'm getting really upset and angry.
#14
Ole Peder Amrud Hagen 5 years ago
No, you don't. In Stockholm, though, you'll see the likes of the first building everywhere.
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Viki Banaszak 5 years ago
As with most of these I saw a beautiful building being torn down for a cheep disaster. It hurts my head and my eyes.
mermaidgirl960 5 years ago
To be honest, the old building was pretty old and really needed some touch-ups. Still don't like the old building though. Looks weird next to the other old buildings.
#15
mermaidgirl960 5 years ago
Hey, they actually kind of kept the shape here. Though, the newer building kind of looks like it's falling apart too...
Lise Hjorth 5 years ago
The department store Magasin du Nord in Copenhagen is an almost 100% replica and is still untouched on the outside . Magasin-du...ff30c4.jpg 
#16
H Edwards 5 years ago
I do like it, but I think it would have been better to restore the original building instead.
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago (edited)
Message to the architectural firm that’s to blame for it: WT Actual F were you thinking? 👏This. 👏Is. 👏NOT. 🤞An. 🤞Improvement. You are doing waaaay too much cocaine.
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
May you fry in the sun on the black balconies of your architectural abomination!
#17
Tim Hardcastle 5 years ago
It's probably terraced housing built on a slight slope, they often have the roofs go up like that in shallow steps.
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
Again, since the Before picture looks like the early 1900s, this building may have been destroyed during either WWI or WWII. But also again, they could’ve tried to retain some vestige of the original design, so the difference wouldn’t be so jarring.
Elizabeth Butler 5 years ago
This is about the horrible defacing of the LEFT building, so I do not understand all the comments about the roof offset on the RIGHT building, which is part of the original.
Michelle Rudd 5 years ago
Sometimes these incongruous new builds are filling in or replacing gaps left by buildings being demolished by WW2 bomb damage, especially when.you see brutalist buildings in otherwise historical areas. Around St. Paul's in London it's mostly modern buildings because the area was flattened in the blitz and the cathedral only survived by a miracle. Coventry cathedral was not so lucky sadly. Same in Germany and other countries I'm sure.
mermaidgirl960 5 years ago
Ugh, it looks like 2 different photos pasted together.... Just doesn't fit.
#18
Ole Peder Amrud Hagen 5 years ago
True, and the older buildings are pretty horrible themselves.
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
You know, when you build an addition, it’s usually a good idea to have it match the rest of the structure as much as possible. Not be a jarring pile of fugly like this POS.
Michael Dworkin-Robertson 5 years ago
it's not an edition...and sometimes, you are not allowed to build in the same style...depends on what housing regs dictate...
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#19
H Edwards 5 years ago
I don't mind this one, in fact I think it's an improvement. The original building isn't anything special.
Paloma Vita 5 years ago
I am with you on this one. I would even say I like the juxtaposition of modern and older... and the sky reflection in the glass is an added bonus.
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Mimi Kumar 5 years ago
Did they just add a completely mscolored portion to the building? Yes. Yes they did
Fluffy monster 5 years ago
I really like this one. Change is inevitable but at least this keeps the original look of the building
#20
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
My college had a building that won architecture awards. It was designed by the same guy who won awards for designing prisons... It was brutish and very prison like. Awful building
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mermaidgirl960 5 years ago
Thank gosh they didn't destroy the clocktower, because that one looks beautiful. The one that got renovated though looks like some boring prison or school. Or apartments.
#21
Octavia Hansen 5 years ago
Without the Widow's Walk, how will I ever know if my true-love is coming back from the sea? Guess I'll never know . . .
Marco Conti 5 years ago
They started by trying to clean the graffiti, then they hired the old lady that did the jesus in Spain and the rest is… boring.
Jennifer Cassada 5 years ago
I like the new building, but I don't understand the X. Looks like it's marking for demolition or something.
#22
H Edwards 5 years ago
Nobody would tear down an original Tudor building these days, thankfully.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
To be fair, the first picture is pre-WWII, so the building may have been destroyed during an air raid. But, as I said in other similar posts, they could’ve at least tried to keep close to the same design of the block so it wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb—-a gross fugly festering sore thumb.
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Among Us 5 years ago (edited)
This looks like one of the before-and-after pictures above from a different angle. #9 to be exact.
H Edwards 5 years ago
I think you're right, the other picture also says Tamworth. At least it means that there haven't been two separate Tudor buildings destroyed to make way for a Co-Op
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Banjo Peppers 5 years ago
The original looked so dilapidated, and that was in 1930. I can’t imagine how awful it looked after that.
sarah llop 5 years ago
I do wish I could go back a century. Such a beautiful place this used to be.
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What do you think ?
Tabernus 5 years ago
This is a pretty lazy list - many of the original buildings were either bombed or cleared after WW2. In many instances the replacement buildings were put up quickly and cheaply, or were genuinely believed to be cutting edge in the '60's
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
Thank you for clarifying that. Usually in architecture you can see bones and remnants left from the original, but many of these were clearly different.
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Kel Gal 5 years ago
I imagine that so many of the before buildings were in such bad condition that it was less expensive and safer to tear them down.
Harley Hoglin 5 years ago
Every photo that shows a building destroyed in WW2 and what replaced it needs to be removed. Comparing what became a bombed out pile of rubble to a new building is bullshit.
Ivan Wahl 5 years ago
If we were misled on even one of the photos it negates the entire premise of the post. Replaced is not renovated and if a major portion of the original building was destroyed and replaced with something else entirely that does not qualify as a renovation either.
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Russell Ellwardt 5 years ago
Many of these are not renovations but replacements. This "list" is no list. Totally useless.
Paulina 5 years ago
The title of this post is so misleading 😠 Those are NOT renovations! Most of the pictures show what was in that spot decades ago and then what's there now. Given most of those are from Europe it's safe to say that "before" buildings no longer exist because of the bombings in WW2 or were torn down not much later due to damages.
mph seti 5 years ago
A lot of the time, this is done because there's really no other choice. An old building is falling apart and otherwise unsafe/unusable as is. We don't t know the full stories, here. That said, turning something charming and comfortable into something Brutalist or Minimalist isn't usually a good idea. Especially when it's a result of gentrification driving out people in favor of new, wealthier, people.
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
i kinda like Brutalism... its so ugly and weird that its fascinating... its a part of history now, but I dont understand they thought it was a good idea back then.
Load More Replies... Olivia Agave 5 years ago
Most of these were either damaged or destroyed in WW2, or the original structure was unstable after being abandoned for years. Now, if you want something gross that doesn't come under these conditions - Maidstone Museum, listed old mansion house that they cut a hole in and slapped a burning gold and glass structure on the side of. maidstone-...f1baca.jpg 
StardustRainO8 5 years ago
I don't know any historcial facts or storys behind these bulidings, but people shuld take a look back and appericate the buliding thats aleready there.
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
A lot of the old buildings got bombed so that's a valid reason to replace them with was considered modern architecture. Sadly even today beautiful buildings get destroyed because a council wants to "step into the future" by building ghastly concrete towers. That's why a lot of cities are so terrible depressing. Grey pavement, grey buildings, black tarmac.
Tabernus 5 years ago
This is a pretty lazy list - many of the original buildings were either bombed or cleared after WW2. In many instances the replacement buildings were put up quickly and cheaply, or were genuinely believed to be cutting edge in the '60's
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
Thank you for clarifying that. Usually in architecture you can see bones and remnants left from the original, but many of these were clearly different.
Load More Replies... Kel Gal 5 years ago
I imagine that so many of the before buildings were in such bad condition that it was less expensive and safer to tear them down.
Harley Hoglin 5 years ago
Every photo that shows a building destroyed in WW2 and what replaced it needs to be removed. Comparing what became a bombed out pile of rubble to a new building is bullshit.
Ivan Wahl 5 years ago
If we were misled on even one of the photos it negates the entire premise of the post. Replaced is not renovated and if a major portion of the original building was destroyed and replaced with something else entirely that does not qualify as a renovation either.
Load More Replies... Russell Ellwardt 5 years ago
Many of these are not renovations but replacements. This "list" is no list. Totally useless.
Paulina 5 years ago
The title of this post is so misleading 😠 Those are NOT renovations! Most of the pictures show what was in that spot decades ago and then what's there now. Given most of those are from Europe it's safe to say that "before" buildings no longer exist because of the bombings in WW2 or were torn down not much later due to damages.
mph seti 5 years ago
A lot of the time, this is done because there's really no other choice. An old building is falling apart and otherwise unsafe/unusable as is. We don't t know the full stories, here. That said, turning something charming and comfortable into something Brutalist or Minimalist isn't usually a good idea. Especially when it's a result of gentrification driving out people in favor of new, wealthier, people.
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
i kinda like Brutalism... its so ugly and weird that its fascinating... its a part of history now, but I dont understand they thought it was a good idea back then.
Load More Replies... Olivia Agave 5 years ago
Most of these were either damaged or destroyed in WW2, or the original structure was unstable after being abandoned for years. Now, if you want something gross that doesn't come under these conditions - Maidstone Museum, listed old mansion house that they cut a hole in and slapped a burning gold and glass structure on the side of. maidstone-...f1baca.jpg
StardustRainO8 5 years ago
I don't know any historcial facts or storys behind these bulidings, but people shuld take a look back and appericate the buliding thats aleready there.
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
A lot of the old buildings got bombed so that's a valid reason to replace them with was considered modern architecture. Sadly even today beautiful buildings get destroyed because a council wants to "step into the future" by building ghastly concrete towers. That's why a lot of cities are so terrible depressing. Grey pavement, grey buildings, black tarmac.
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