Richmond's Ugliest Building

Introduction

There are lists of the ugliest buildings in the world, and the Markel Building just outside Richmond (technically in Henrico County) is one of them.  The crinkled aluminum exterior is both weird and ghastly.  The building is set back from Broad Street and is easy to ignore if you are driving in the area.  Here’s a picture

 

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Comments on the Architecture

i remember the guy (haigh jamgosian) swinging the sledge hammer. strange and imaginative fella. it was like seeing an alien back then when the building was completed. right next to it was the "paper clip" building.
When the markels originally built this, it was exotic and unique. being "in the round" with parking underneath, it was an interesting place to visit and do business. markel was in the risk business and the building exemplified that attitude. on the other hand , it was also named one of the ugliest buildings in the world. i never thought so. it was the "reynolds wrap building".
today, it's just as unique as ever. the inside is quite dated though, the elevator crawls, parking underneath is tight. i still like the building.

This building is so unique. A native of Richmond, architect Haigh Jamgochian, was commissioned to design the building in 1962. Get this, the design was inspired by a baked potatoe he had while attending an American Institute of Architect's dinner. Each floor consists of a 555 foot sheet of aluminum sledge hammered into its current form. And yes, it was the headquarters of Reynolds Metals (Reynolds Wrap). It's just a drive by and I highly recommend it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g60893-d1441403-Reviews-Markel_Building-Richmond_Virginia.html

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Perhaps a better summary of this effort, made as a general statement:

“No degree of dullness can safeguard a work against the determination of critics to find it fascinating.” 

-- Harold Rosenberg, Discovering the Present, 1973