An eyesore is something that is largely considered to look unpleasant or ugly. Its technical usage is as an alternative perspective to the notion of landmark. Common examples include dilapidatedbuildings, graffiti, litter, polluted areas, and excessive commercial signage such as billboards. Some eyesores may be a matter of opinion such as controversial modern architecture, transmission towers or wind turbines. Natural eyesores include feces, mud and weeds.
Clean-up programmes to improve or remove eyesores are often started by local bodies or even national governments. These are frequently called Operation Eyesore. High-profile international events such as the Olympic Games usually trigger such activity. Others contend that it is best to address these problems while they are small, since signs of neglect encourage anti-social behaviour such as vandalism and fly-tipping. This strategy is known as fixing broken windows.
Controversy
Whether some constructions are eyesores is a matter of opinion which may change over time. Landmarks are often called eyesores.
Examples of divided opinion
Eiffel Tower – Upon its construction, Parisians wanted it torn down as an eyesore. In modern times it is one of the world's top landmarks.
Golden Gate Bridge was controversial ahead of its construction, it being said in The Wasp that it "would prove an eye-sore to those now living ... certainly mar if not utterly destroy the natural charm of the harbor famed throughout the world." It is now considered a notable landmark.
Millennium Dome – the ugliest building in the world in a poll by the business magazine Forbes of "15 architects, all of whom were American apart from one who was British and one who was Canadian".
Federation Square – despite being hailed a landmark by many, it has equally been rejected by many notable Australians as an eyesore.
Wind farms – thought to be the worst eyesore by readers of Country Life but liked by others.
Boston's Government Center, where City Hall has been called "The World's Ugliest Building".
One Rincon Hill – Situated just south of San Francisco's Financial District, this high-rise condominium surrounded by shorter buildings has generated some mixed reviews.
Lloyd's building – Situated in the City of London, this building was described as an oil refinery when it was opened in 1986 for having most of its facilities, stairways and AC on the outside. Some people still say this, although the building has become more popular and liked in the recent years.
Tour Montparnasse - lone skyscraper in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France. Its appearance mars the Paris urban landscape, and construction of skyscrapers have been banned in the city two years after its completion. A 2008 poll of editors on Virtualtourist voted the building the second ugliest building in the world. It is sometimes said that the view from the top is the most beautiful in Paris, because it is the only place from which the tower itself cannot be seen.
American Dream Meadowlands. Most politicians and the public have equally criticized the building's appearance calling it "The ugliest building in New Jersey".
Cebu City Hall, considered an eyesore by many during the early to mid 2000s, until it was renovated in 2007, and is now considered as one of the best city halls in the Philippines.
