Ohio has received another dubious distinction by landing on a list for “100 Ugliest Public Buildings in the US …” twice.
The Akron Municipal Court building ranked 6th and the Montgomery County Administration building ranked 13th on the list of “100 most unattractive public buildings across the country” as voted by 3,012 Americans.
The results, dominated by courthouses and buildings, are often colored by how residents feel about the function of the and upkeep of the space. The New Jersey Real Estate Network published the study and chalks it up to “brutalist and utilitarian styles” that informed the mid-to-late 20th aesthetics.
Akron Municipal Court Building
The Akron Municipal Court was first established legislatively in 1919 with three judges, evolving in judge numbers over the decades (five judges in 1930, reduced to four in 1939, back to six by 1975) and was renamed the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center in 1991, according to records from the Akron Municipal Court.
After decades of use, the facility fell into disrepair and residents began calling attention to its deterioration, leading to the unveiling of the new location at the Ocasek Building in downtown Akron in 2023. The new building has modern courtrooms and offices, but this wasn’t enough, apparently, to keep it off the list.
Montgomery County Administration Building
Based on accounts from the Montgomery County History, the building was constructed during the period from 1970 to 1972. It was part of the Center City West Urban Renewal area, a major downtown revitalization effort in Dayton at the time, It was designed by the renowned architect Edward Durell Stone along with Brown and Head Associates and is an example of the Modern International architectural style…