10 Fascinating Buildings Never Built
Published on September 25, 2008 - 81 Comments
This is a collection of 10 of the most intriguing buildings that never quite made it to fruition for one reason or another. I think most of the architects in this list would agree that “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. For a larger view of each image, just click it and it will open in a new window. [JFrater: If you find this list especially interesting, I would recommend the excellent novel “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand which is based around architecture. You can buy it from Amazon.]
Hotel Attraction was to be the tallest building in New York at the time and was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. The planned total height was 360 meters / 1181 ft and was probably unrealistic for its time. Little is known about the origins of Hotel Attraction and was unknown until 1956, when a report called “The New World Called Gaudí” was published.
Interesting Fact: The drawings by Gaudi of the Attraction Hotel had actually been proposed as a basis for the rebuilding of the Ground Zero project in Manhattan.
The Illinois was a proposed mile-high (1,609 meters/5,280 feet) skyscraper, envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright believed that it would have been technically possible to construct such a building even at the time it was proposed. The design included 528 stories, with a gross area of 18.46 million square feet.
Interesting Fact: A number of problems occurred in Wright’s design of The Illinois including space that was needed to service the elevators which would occupy all of the space available on the lower floors, thus defeating the purpose of the building’s height.
Despite what many believe was the ugliest of all the proposals, architect Will Alsop entered the winning design for this project and named it “The Cloud”. The projects name (Fourth Grace) is due to the development being located adjacent to the three historic buildings at the Pier Head site known as “The Three Graces”. The project was cancelled in 2004 due to spiraling costs.
Interesting Fact: The Fourth Grace was designed for office space, a 107-room hotel and 50,000 sq ft of community facilities, including a bar, restaurant and viewing gallery.
Plans called for a 457 meters / 1500 foot stone tower in Jackson Park, Chicago, on the site of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. French-born architect and MIT Professor Désiré Despradelle came up with the winning design. With more financial backing the structure would have been by far the tallest man-made object in the world.
Interesting Fact: The design called for an amphitheater at the base to seat 100,000 people and sweeping piers that would extend into Lake Michigan for regattas.
The Ville Contemporaine was to house three million inhabitants and was designed by the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier. The centerpiece of this plan was the group of sixty-story skyscrapers built on steel frames and encased in huge curtain walls of glass. They housed both offices and the apartments of the most wealthy inhabitants. At the very center was a huge transportation center on different levels that would include depots for buses and trains, as well as highway and an airport at the top.
Interesting Fact: For a number of years French officials had been unsuccessful in dealing with the squalor of the growing Parisian slums, Le Corbusier thought this design was an efficient way to house large numbers of people in response to the urban housing crisis.
Tatlin’s Tower would have dwarfed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower was to be built from industrial materials: iron, glass and steel. It was envisioned as a towering symbol of modernity. The tower’s main form was a twin helix which spiraled up to 400 m/1312ft in height, where visitors would be transported around with the aid of various mechanical devices.
Interesting Fact: At the base of the structure was a rotating cube which was designed as a venue for lectures, conferences and legislative meetings. The cube would complete a rotation in the span of one year. Above that cube would be a smaller pyramid housing executive activities and completing a rotation once a month.
The Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid was a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan. The structure would be 12 times higher than the Great Pyramid at Giza, and would house 750,000 people. It would be the largest man-made structure on Earth. The pyramid structure would be composed of 55 smaller pyramids stacked five high. Each of these smaller pyramids would be about the size of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.
Interesting Fact: The reason this project can not be built is the design of the Mega-City Pyramids relies on the future availability of super-strong lightweight materials that are currently unavailable.
This design is obviously more of a far fetched vision than a seriously considered project but I wanted to include it in this list because it’s really cool. Architect Eugene Tsui originally conceived the idea of the Ultima Tower as part of a study of the compact urban area of San Francisco. The structure would utilize atmospheric energy conversion by converting the difference in atmospheric pressure at the top and bottom of the structure into electrical power. The Ultima Tower is 500 stories tall (two miles high) and is intended to house one million residents.
Interesting Fact: The structure’s shape is modeled after the tallest structure not made by man– African termite nests.
If the Palace of Soviets was built, it would have become the world’s tallest structure. It was to be built on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. A public international contest to design the Palace attracted 272 concepts from architects all over the world. The contest was won by Boris Iofan’s who literally expressed the idea of “Lenin atop the skyscraper” in the most clear form.
Interesting Fact: Construction was actually started on this project in 1937 and was terminated because of the German invasion. In 1942 its steel frame was disassembled for use in fortifications and bridges. Also: The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1995-2000.
The Volkshalle (People’s Hall), was a huge monumental building planned by Adolf Hitler and his architect Albert Speer. It was to be the capital’s most important and impressive building in terms of its size and symbolism and the architectural centerpiece of Berlin. Thankfully the Great Dome was never built due to the break out of the war.
Interesting Fact: What makes the Volkshalle even more interesting is the illustration plans (pictured above) show a pedestal with the Nazi eagle figure. The eagle along with the pedestal and just the right shadowing gives an illusion in the form of Hitler’s face and is believed designed to appear only at a particular time of the year.
Contributor: Blogball
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1. BA - September 27th, 2008 at 2:40 am
I love the concept of The Illinois. It would fit in well with the Chicago skyline.
2. Rinneganleks - September 27th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Argh! thought I’d be the first one to post a comment! Ahahah! Palace of the Soviets… Tsk tsk,
3. Diamond_Dragon - September 27th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Some Amazing buildings with capital A!
Would love to see the Palace Of The Soviets be built.
Looks more than Amazing to me!
4. JUNQUEMAN - September 27th, 2008 at 3:14 am
You gotta love a two mile high structure in San Francisco. Anything higher than a one story fortified bunker is in risk of collapse.
5. thedragon23 - September 27th, 2008 at 3:19 am
They are all very ugly and no. 6 is a human social disaster just waiting to happen. Thank goodness none got off the ground
6. nubyw00tz - September 27th, 2008 at 4:43 am
I think no. 8 would be a pretty great building.
7. David - September 27th, 2008 at 4:47 am
I really like them all, well bar the “Great Nazi Dome”. I think they would all be really interesting to see built nowadays, although i think the two mile high building in San Francisco would be a bit of an eye sore.
8. JayBe - September 27th, 2008 at 4:55 am
I like very much number 2 and 1. (forgett about politics)
#2 remembers helenistics great monuments like Alexandrian Lighthouse
#1 In that image I see Old Rome pantheon visited by an army of Action Men
It’s interesting how such two oposites movements took references from ancien empires. Both have a clear simbology hidden behind.
JB
9. smurff - September 27th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Good list - building # 7 and 9 would be mind boggling in those days, taking into account our modern machinery cranes etc that we have today, compared to then. Man O Man lugging u stone and motar that high its unbelievable.
10. MattMarti - September 27th, 2008 at 5:46 am
No. 9 reminds me of the Citadel from half life 2
http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Citadel
another great list
11. astraya - September 27th, 2008 at 5:46 am
The Sydney Opera House was built after an international architectural competition. Second and third prizes were awarded. I remember attending an exhibition featuring other designs (and also Utzon’s original designs) at the opera house. I can’t remember anything about them, and now can’t find anything on the internet.
One of the reasons Utzon’s design was chosen was its all-round appearance. Its location means that it can be seen from pretty much every angle, including overhead (eg from buildings and the Sydney Harbour Bridge). Apparently the other designs were quite “square”.
The problems begin inside. One comedian with an artistic bent once said “Australia has a world-class opera house. Unfortunately the outside is in Sydney, the inside is in Melbourne and the car park is in Adelaide”.
12. SaturnIon - September 27th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Cool list.
Thanks for the book recommendation!
13. D - September 27th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Nice job Blogball.
- Looks like Gaudi was inspired by the temples of Angkor.
- The Monument to Isaac Newton by Etienne-Louis Boullee is worth checking out, which one can do so, here:
http://intranet.arc.miami.edu/.....Newton.jpg
-H.R. Giger’s Pyramids stationed at the points of a pentagram tunnel system.
-One wonders if Dubai’s Architectural Wonders will end up looking as layed out on paper. If the full intensity of futuristic design will hold up in reality. Life looks different on the ground.
-Bucky Fuller’s designs never reached their full compacity as planned, i dont think.
14. dischuker - September 27th, 2008 at 6:06 am
you could have added this to each entry
interesting fact: this building is ugly
almost all of these are drastically lacking of aesthetics.
15. Ghidoran - September 27th, 2008 at 6:39 am
OMG I see Hitler’s face!!!!in no.1
Anyway, the pyramid interested me. Hopefully it will be built soon. So the Millenium Tower in Japan IS being built?
16. akino - September 27th, 2008 at 7:18 am
the pyramid was featured in The Discovery Channel.
nice list!
17. Some guy - September 27th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Pretty sure that tower Tesla was making is worth a mention.
18. jake ryder - September 27th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Great List
Just watched a great documentary on The Volkshalle recently. I think on Discovery.
19. iolanthe_duville - September 27th, 2008 at 7:58 am
i guess there will come a time in the future were a city will fit into one building. And maybe by that time, instead of calling them buildings, they will call them as cities. How cool is that? Its like, when someone ask you, “Which city do you live?” …. “Oh me? I live @ the Ultima tower.” Cool.
20. thuss - September 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am
this list is just too good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21. Aaron - September 27th, 2008 at 8:33 am
The Palace of the Soviets looks incredible!
22. nygel - September 27th, 2008 at 8:50 am
besides two of them they all look pretty cool. Upon opening the two mile tower I noticed that Oakland building. ummm… is that really being built?
23. Chickensoup - September 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
This is maybe one of the most interesting lists in weeks (in my humble opinion)! Gaudi was a genius. To see ‘1 fascinating building that is being built’ in this style check out La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
24. LYS - September 27th, 2008 at 9:41 am
What about Sky City 1000? It should be on the list if not lead it!
25. Slipstick - September 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Shouldn’t the height of #3 be 1000 stories since 1 story = 10 feet? That’s why Frank Lloyd Wright’s project that was 5280 feet had 528 stories.
While many may deride these as lacking asthetics, I feel that many of them are quite beautiful, especially Antoni Gaudi’s.
26. Ro - September 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Woah,,,,the Palace of Soviets,if ever made, would be incredible.I rather wish there was a building today,that awesome. It kind of reminds me of the Collosus of Rhodes.
27. segue - September 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I’ve always been intrigued by architecture and sculpture ( they seem intimately related ), so this list was right down my alley!
Thanks, Blogball, for all the time and research you put into this list. It was more than well worth it.
Only thing I’d argue with is the Ayn Rand book. I read all of her books between high school and Uni, and really hated them, and her, when I finally got around to researching her life.
But that is just mho.
28. Ro - September 27th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Oh, and thanks Blogball. It was a real treat reading this list; you can’t imagine how my face lit up when I saw the title. Politics aside, all the Nazi architectural plans were simply sumptuous, including #1.
29. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode - September 27th, 2008 at 10:21 am
very cool list!
30. Sharki - September 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Cool list!
Wow is #8 ugly! Thank God they didn’t build that thing.
31. goof_ball - September 27th, 2008 at 10:33 am
this is really interesting
32. Cedestra - September 27th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Great list, Blogball.
Personally, the Ultima Tower frightens me. Look at how gigantic it is! It completely dwarfs the Dubai Tower. It just looks so fricken’ bug-like.
I actually like the Hotel Attraction. Looks very Jetsons to me.
Oh yeahhhh; I see Hitler’s face, too!
#6 Reminds me of the old people’s community from a Futurama episode and #4 reminds me of the Tyrell Corporation building from Bladerunner.
33. Flock O’Seagulls - September 27th, 2008 at 11:08 am
History Channel had programs on Nos. 1 and 2. Hitler’s vision of his Berlin was interesting–and frightening. Remnants of it are still there, if one knows where to look. As I recall from the program, the ground in Berlin would not have been able to support the weight of the building, and due to the immense size of the dome, condensation inside it would have caused rain–pretty disgusting, if you consider it.
34. jhm - September 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Ive been waiting for this list and its awesome
35. Stizzy - September 27th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
No tower of babel? :p
36. Adia - September 27th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Those would all be so cool. Especially the cities. I want them to be made. Even number one is beautiful, maybe without the Nazis it would work. Hmph, Nazi’s ruin everything.
37. Cedestra - September 27th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I did some wiki-research on EPCOT. Interesting stuff- you can see the watered down version in Celebration, FL.
38. Cedestra - September 27th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
35. Stizzy: What? Uh, the Tower of Babel was built, and destroyed (so say the sources). I know you’re joking, but it wasn’t particularly bright, was it?
39. Comboio Azul - September 27th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
The Mega-City Pyramid looks like that gargantuan complex in Blade Runner.
40. Cataline - September 27th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
While this was technically started, it was not finished and maybe should be added to a follow up list: Pyongyang’s Ryugyon Hotel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel
41. Blogball - September 27th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Thanks for the comments Listversers! Concerning #33. Flock O’Seagulls, your comment reminded me of when I was researching information on The Great Dome I ran across a recent aerial view of where they were to build it and sitting there now is a huge cylinder that was to test the weight factor involved in building something that massive.
You can see the photo here http://wiki.worldflicks.org/sc.....6rper.html
42. astraya - September 27th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Cataline: I was thinking about a possible list of unfinished buildings, and about the Ryugyung Hotel in particular. If you ask (South) Koreans what is the tallest building in Korean, none of them say that one. Most of them answer the 63 Building, which was Seoul’s first super-tall building, and is still the most visible, being a) gold-coloured and b) on an island in the Han River. There are now two taller, both in suburban centres and surrounded by other tall buildings. The centre of Seoul is surprisingly medium-rise. There is only one super-building in the centre of Seoul.
But the tallest building, although unfinished, in Korea is in North Korea. Because of its unfinishedness, the NK’s don’t talk about it, either. It’s removed from official photographs of the Pyongyang cityscape.
43. Mom424 - September 27th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Great list Blogball; Personally I’m kinda fascinated by the model based on a termite mound. Do you know if any one bothered to figure out if it would in fact support itself?
44. C - September 27th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Fascinating list.
I’m surprised you didn’t include the Tower of Babel.
45. Blogball - September 27th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I thought I would share one more buildings with the listversers. When I was searching around for some un-built buildings I came across is gem.
I didn’t include it in my list for obvious reasons. http://images.google.com/imgre.....f%26sa%3DG
46. astraya - September 27th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Blogball: Why not? Were all mature human beings here. A certain scene from “Shrek” springs to mind. Shrek (looking at Lord Farquard’s tower): Do you think he’s trying to compensate for something here? Donkey (uncomprehendingly) Like what?
47. Blogball - September 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
astraya, LOL! I remember that scene very well. I actually did come closer than I admit to including it but I felt guilty that the other buildings on the list would be jealous and develop building envy.
48. diogenes’ dildo - September 27th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I know i should probably reply to that #45
but it seems like ive put my foot in my mouth enuff on this site.
49. badabing - September 27th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
What about the burj dubai, it’s already the tallest building in the world and it’s not even finished yet.
What about the new plans for the new ground zero project?
Why not build the biggest and tallest building, yet the dubai project seems to dwarf it.
Awesome list!
Be kind I’m a listuniverse virgin.
50. Lynn in Oregon - September 27th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Really interesting list, architectural art and design can be so beautiful. It would be great to see some of these actually built.
I love the list blogball, but if you were worried about including …ahem…certain designs… you should have left #10 off the list which to me looks like a window display at a porn shop.
51. Stizzy - September 28th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Cedestra: Construction was started but it was never finished. It wasn’t destroyed, construction was stopped. And I was actually serious, but even if I were joking, I don’t see how that would make me any less bright than anyone else here.
52. Pete - September 28th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Wow very cool post, found you guys via: http://www.dignova.com/story/6.....Built.html
53. littlemissrock - September 28th, 2008 at 4:13 am
I can already see the face of Hitler on the picture.
54. cparker - September 28th, 2008 at 5:40 am
What an awesome list.
55. Cataline - September 28th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
astraya: thanks for the learned response!
56. luckyaz - September 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
i like the palace of soviets, its like some crazy middle earth shit man
57. astraya - September 28th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Cataline: I haven’t seen your name here before. If this is your first time or an early time, you may not know that I’m teaching English in Sth Korea, and live about 50 km from the NK border, so I talk about Korea a lot in my postings.
58. Blogball - September 28th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Astraya & Cataline the Pyongyang’s Ryugyon Hotel is really something or should I say nothing. I really feel for those people in NK.
The building gave me an idea for a list called “top 10 white elephants” That hotel would have to be close to the # 1 spot .
Mom424, I’m ptty sure the Ultuma Tower is a feasible design. You can read more about it here. http://www.tdrinc.com/ultima.html
59. astraya - September 28th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Blogball: I just read on wiki that construction on the Ryugrong Hotel restarted in Apr this year, but no-one seems to know exactly what is being done.
60. jhoyce07 - September 28th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
these building sketches are awesome! i hope to see one very very soon.. ü
61. Blogball - September 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
astraya, kind of off the subject but what are people saying in NK about Kim Yong-Il, do they think he’s dead?
62. Blogball - September 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Sorry I meant SK
63. phantombrain - September 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hey, you should have included the Konark Sun Temple, Orissa, India.
It is the largest incomplete temple ever built by man! It in its incomplete state is still the largest temple ever built!
It is an architectural wonder.
64. Joanie Girl - September 28th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Im glad none of these were built, Theyre all UGLY
65. Joss - September 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Hitler’s face in #1 is chilling. Great list!
66. Brickhouse - September 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
That dome with Hitler’s face - very interesting and a bit disturbing all rolled into one.
67. astraya - September 29th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Blogball: If SKs are talking Korean, then I don’t know whether they’re talking about NK and Kim JI or not! I don’t think they talk about it/him much. One former student said “There’s nothing we can do about him, so why worry?” The Kims have been running NK for 63 years, so all but the oldest can remember nothing else. Korean TV reported his absence from Republic Day and lunar thanksgiving ceremonies. I get most of my news on the subject from the Sydeny Morning Herald online and the local English-language papers, which are directed towards expats.
68. dr.diogenes - September 30th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
some of those late 19th century world’s fairs were the shit. meaning somethin else. meaning the alluring end/begining, meaning the early world’s fairs were the shit, ect. but at some point the future caught up.
anyways the beacon of progress, i shall look into.
France was the place and then there was St. Petersburg, right?
Were was that fantastic glass palace?
no longer.
a menagerie of artificial extravegance
so yeh, the crumbling ruins of past become the destinations of the planned out thrill package of the rich.
The Paris International Colonial Exposition of 1931
69. Denzell - September 30th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Awesome!
70. SheSue - October 1st, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Does anyone else feel like you just entered a Star Trek movie? Especially that cloud building that looks like a big blob.
71. Bahar - October 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
What about Zaha Hadids designs? Most of het wonderfull designs arn’t build…
72. itsmekenny - October 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
this list was a really good piece of work! im doing architecture at lawrence tech in MI right now! great list….hope to see more like it in the future!!!!!!!
73. unca - October 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Terrific list. What a lot of digging (pun intended) you had to do to come up with this. Nice descriptions, especially the interesting facts sections. My wife and I thought about building our own house but decided not to — I’m not surprised it didn’t make it on your list, however.
74. website designs - October 8th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Fascinating! Wish some of these would have been built!
75. Lautreamont - November 4th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Hi there,
I just published a translation of this article:
http://www.lautreamont.net/200.....construir/
I included original source link for english visitors. I would have just included a link along with a reference to the article, but english is not popular enough in Spain and I really wanted spanish visitors to fully understand this great article. I sincerely hope you don’t mind.
Regards,
Lautreamont
76. Adam - November 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I’m not a Nazi but I would have loved for the Volkshalle to be built. Would be an amazing dome, biggest ever, they say it would have had it’s own weather inside.