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Weird Buildings (Odd Forms / Features; Novelty Architecture)

This novelty shoe-shaped house in Pennsylvania has been renovated and made available for short-term rental ...

Shoe-shaped house in Pennsylvania now available for short stays

The new owners of an unusual shoe-shaped Pennsylvania house built in 1948 announced the facility is now available to rent for short-term accommodations.

Waylon and Naomi Brown purchased Hellam Township's Haines Shoe House in July and they announced on Facebook the house is now available for short-term rentals on Vrbo. ...

The house was built in 1948 to promote Mahlon Haines' chain of shoe stores and it has since gone through multiple owners and served as a honeymoon suite, an ice cream shop and a tourist attraction.

The house was renovated by the Browns. Its three bedrooms, which are all filled with shoe memorabilia, have been dubbed "Shoelace Space," "Instep Suite" and "Ankle Abode." ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/1...available-for-short-term-stays/9351667937452/
 
Technically not buildings as they were never built are the grand concepts of 18th century visionary architect Étienne-Louis Boullée. Truly awesome, most are ridiculously enormous, yet appealing nonetheless. Here is a video overview:

(I feel compelled to mention that at least one commentator sees the "nighttime" illumination of the Newton cenotaph as an alternate concept, not a part of the original design. I tend to agree.)

When first looking at Boullée's work, I felt it reminded me of something. I eventually realized it was the work of artist and humorist Bruce McCall. A link to a reproduction of a favorite National Lampoon piece (R.M.S. ‘Tyrannic’ - 'The Biggest Thing In All The World’) is below.
https://magnificenttitanic.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F107198332267
 
With the World Cup presently ongoing in Qatar, I was looking at hotels in Doha if ever we were to pass through and saw this gleaming example of modern architecture. Weird, yes, odd of form, indeed, a novelty? Doubtful. But spectacular none the less.

Raffles - Doha:

raffles.jpg


https://www.raffles.com/doha/
 
I’ve never heard of this before despite it being there since 1974

Windowless 29 storey NYC skyscraper

What is known about the fortified skyscraper is that it is officially called the Long Lines Building, and was built to withstand an atomic blast from a nuclear weapon - but its main purpose was not to protect humans, but to safeguard telecommunications cables, switchboards and computers. It became home to one of America's most important telecommunications hubs operated by the New York Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T.

The structure was designed to have no windows, 29 floors and three basement levels and store enough food to keep 1,500 alive for two weeks in a disaster.

It is common practice to conceal the existence of a facility that houses essential telecommunications equipment from the general public. 33 Thomas Street, however, is unique: According to The Intercept's study, the building serves as more than just a hub for long-distance calls. It also looks to be one of the most significant NSA surveillance locations on American soil, a clandestine monitoring centre that is used to intercept phone calls, faxes, and internet traffic.
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Weird creepy dystopian building in New York....warning ..... Speaks of suicides.

 
hunck said:
I’ve never heard of this before despite it being there since 1974

Windowless 29 storey NYC skyscraper

What is known about the fortified skyscraper is that it is officially called the Long Lines Building, and was built to withstand an atomic blast from a nuclear weapon - but its main purpose was not to protect humans, but to safeguard telecommunications cables, switchboards and computers. It became home to one of America's most important telecommunications hubs operated by the New York Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T.


View attachment 70263
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And our equivalent-
Porthcurno cable station.
Makes you proud to be British;
Porthcurno.jpg
 
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1697412864033.jpeg


It is fondly called the Big Basket building. It is a larger-than-life replica of a picnic basket that has left visitors in awe. It was built by the Longaberger Company, a maple wood basket and lifestyle product manufacturer, in 1997. This unique and fascinating building has become an iconic landmark in Ohio.
 
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The Strange Second Life of Ohio’s ‘Big Basket’ Building​

In 2020, guests will be able to bask in the glory of a seven-story, basket-shaped hotel.​

BY SABRINA IMBLER NOVEMBER 5, 2019
This bizarre building is set to become Ohio's newest luxury resort.'s newest luxury resort.

This bizarre building is set to become Ohio's newest luxury resort. COURTESY HERITAGE OHIO

ON OCTOBER 20, THE BIG Basket opened its doors, and people wept. The seven-story, basket-shaped building in east Newark, Ohio—once the main office of the now-defunct Longaberger Company—was offering its first public tour since closing in 2016. More than 600 people showed up for the occasion. They came from small towns across Ohio, such as Ironton* and Washington Court House, some driving up to four hours to make it in time. They lined up at 11 a.m. for tours that started at 1 p.m. “People were in tears and hugging each other,” says Joyce Barrett, the executive director of Heritage Ohio, who helped organize the tour. “They were so happy to be back in the Basket.”

The one-day-only tour was held on a Sunday, the day before Heritage Ohio announced that the famed Longaberger Basket Building will soon re-open as a luxury hotel—securing the future of a building that many thought was doomed. But nobody knew this on Sunday, so they swarmed with questions about what was going to happen to their beloved basket. “One person wanted it to be a senior citizen center,” Barrett says. “Others wondered if the company was coming back.”

Continued with additional images:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/longaberger-basket-building-hotel
 
Sollywos said:

The Strange Second Life of Ohio’s ‘Big Basket’ Building​

In 2020, guests will be able to bask in the glory of a seven-story, basket-shaped hotel.​

BY SABRINA IMBLER NOVEMBER 5, 2019
This bizarre building is set to become Ohio's newest luxury resort.'s newest luxury resort.'s newest luxury resort.'s newest luxury resort.

This bizarre building is set to become Ohio's newest luxury resort. COURTESY HERITAGE OHIO

ON OCTOBER 20, THE BIG Basket opened its doors, and people wept. The seven-story, basket-shaped building in east Newark, Ohio—once the main office of the now-defunct Longaberger Company—was offering its first public tour since closing in 2016. More than 600 people showed up for the occasion. They came from small towns across Ohio, such as Ironton* and Washington Court House, some driving up to four hours to make it in time. They lined up at 11 a.m. for tours that started at 1 p.m. “People were in tears and hugging each other,” says Joyce Barrett, the executive director of Heritage Ohio, who helped organize the tour. “They were so happy to be back in the Basket.”

The one-day-only tour was held on a Sunday, the day before Heritage Ohio announced that the famed Longaberger Basket Building will soon re-open as a luxury hotel—securing the future of a building that many thought was doomed. But nobody knew this on Sunday, so they swarmed with questions about what was going to happen to their beloved basket. “One person wanted it to be a senior citizen center,” Barrett says. “Others wondered if the company was coming back.”

Continued with additional images:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/longaberger-basket-building-hotel
Click to expand...
Living there could be described as 'Hell in a handbasket'.
 
Period architecture.

Chinese internet amused by building that looks like sanitary pad​



Weibo Rendering of the North Nanjing station
Weibo
The design of the new North Nanjing station was approved by authorities recently

The proposed design of a train station in the Chinese city of Nanjing has attracted the attention of Chinese internet users - for all the wrong reasons.

Authorities say the design of the North Nanjing station takes inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is known for.

But online, others are pointing out its resemblance to something rather different - a sanitary pad.

"This is a giant sanitary pad. It's embarrasing to say it looks like a plum blossom," said one comment on social media site Weibo.

The topic has generated millions of views across various Chinese social media platforms.

"Why can we all tell it is a sanitary pad immediately, but the architects can't?" one Weibo user said.

"I think we should take this chance to call for society to pay attention to period shaming. This design is ahead of its time," another user joked.

According to state-owned newspaper Nanjing Daily, the preliminary design was greenlit by the government of Jiangsu province and China State Railway Group.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c136n018jkeo
 
I never knew that the QE2 was in the same hotel chain as The Overlook?


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Was watching the latest episode of Walk With Me Tim where he stays on the QE2. I couldn't believe it when I saw the carpet, and then Tim mentioned it himself.

The whole video is worth a watch. The emptiness of the ship makes it very creepy.

;0)
 
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