Kumbukumbu za ulimwengu (World Archives)

Brutalism has always been controversial. Ian Fleming named James Bond's arch nemesis Auric Goldfinger after the Brutalist architect Ernő Goldfinger, whose style Fleming disliked.

Goldfinger would later design such things as Trellick Tower, in London, in 1972.

And that controversial reputation has endured - hated by some and loved by others.

But the trend is clear: Brutalist buildings all over the world are being demolished. And even while some have narrowly escaped, like Preston Bus Station, many more are under threat.

Such controversy isn't unusual, however. Many architectural styles - even ones now beloved - were once hated.

When Haussmann rebuilt Paris between the 1850s and 1870s his renovation was regarded as a modernist travesty which had ruined the charm of Paris.

And Paris' most notable landmark, the Eiffel Tower, was equally lamented as an architectural and aesthetic catastrophe.

One group of artists called it "useless, monstrous, giddy, barbaric... a hateful column of bolted sheet metal."

Time has softned such sentiments.

In Britain, many Victorian buildings demolished in the postwar years and now so missed were once viewed as ugly.

With its imitation and mix of older styles Victorian architecture was often labelled vulgar, inauthentic, and tasteless.

We might disagree - but that's the point.

The Sagrada Família in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí and still unfinished, is now one of the world's most famous buildings.

But plenty of people thought it was an eyesore, including Pablo Picasso - who said its creators were condemned to hell - and George Orwell.

The Sagrada Família in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí and still unfinished, is now one of the world's most famous buildings.

But plenty of people thought it was an eyesore, including Pablo Picasso - who said its creators were condemned to hell - and George Orwell.View attachment 2489294

The point is that tastes change; many of the buildings demolished to make way for Brutalist structures were considered unworthy of preservation in their own time.

Such as those many great American train stations destroyed in the latter half of the 20th century.

The San Diego giant was purchased by the Smithsonian for $500 (over $14,000 in today’s money) in 1895, although they later claimed it was a hoax.

Photo artwork of one of the two Riace Bronzes (Statue A). This statue has been dated to 460-450 BCE. On display (along with Statue B) at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Reggio Calabria, Italy. Photo artwork credit: Paul E. Williams.

Photo artwork of one of the two Riace Bronzes (Statue B). This has been dated to 430-420 BCE, a little later than Statue A. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Reggio Calabria, Italy. Photo artwork credit: Paul E. Williams.

Photo artwork of one of the two Riace Bronzes (Statue B). This has been dated to 430-420 BCE, a little later than Statue A. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Reggio Calabria, Italy. Photo artwork credit: Paul E. Williams.View attachment 2492172

The Riace Bronzes also known as the ' Riace Warriors' were Greek bronzes found in the sea near the coast of Riace, southern Italy, in 1972. Read more about them here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riace_bro… Photo source: 247.libero.it

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