In a design blog we’re accustomed to interesting and beautiful things, but sometimes especially in architecture we can enjoy seeing the most amazingly “ugly” design.
I recently came across two such famous examples:
The first example is in a remote city in Russia’s far north-west called Arkhangelsk. Supposedly it is the world’s tallest wooden house more like skyscraper soaring 13 floors or 144ft – about half the height of Big Ben.
And the another one is across the ocean in Brooklyn, 104 feet or about 9 stories high.
There are lots of similarities between the two – both in design (fantasy architecture) as well as storyline. Arkhangelsk means Archangel in Russian and the Brooklyn house is called Broken Angel – an interesting coincidence.
Nikolai Sutyagin (owner of a lumber yard and construction company), started out building a two story wooden house in 1992, but unlike his neighbours he wanted to show off his wealth and so kept building. But after a 15 year eccentric project the house is crumbling, incomplete and under threat of demolition from city authorities.
He even built a five-storey bath house in the garden. However Sutyagin was sent to prison in 1998 on racketeering charges.
When he went to prison he was a millionaire, now Sutyagin at 60 (as of 2006) lives in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his wooden skyscraper with his 32-year-old wife Lena. Still it is an incredible feat to built most of this over sized tree house with a fairytale twist, by himself.
The Broken Angel building is located at 4/6 Downing Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1972 Arthur Wood (an artist) bought the building originally the Brooklyn Trolley Headquarters for $2,000. Arthur and his wife Cynthia transformed the building into a melange of art and architecture.
It even had a wood-and-mirror floor which appeared to float in mid air when viewed from the ground.
The inside of the building was described by a passing priest as a church with arches and colourful stained glass windows made from recycled bottles and glass.
The house was even featured as a backdrop in the film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.
Sadly a fire broke out in the building in early October 2006 and the DOB of New York city evicted the Woods from their home of 30 years. It was considered an unsafe structure.
Arthur and his family (with son Christopher as well) did everything they could to save Broken Angel. From bank loans to partnering with a real estate developer to convert the building to residential condominiums and artist spaces.
But after 2 years he had to put the building up for sale.
Both cases point to fire hazards and what most consider ugly buildings. But perhaps landmarks that are worth seeing before nothing is left.
Too bad the Brooklyn house will probably “die” soon. i remember it from “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” movie.