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oeUsing selected episodes from English architectural history since the early eighteenth century, Hyde examines the ways in which architecture, as both a product and practice, has been evaluated against judgments of ugliness within wider external structures: in law, governance, the architectural profession, and the Church of England. In its aim and scope, Ugliness and Judgment represents a strikingly original contribution to the field. Christine Stevenson, author of The City and the King: Architecture and Politics in Restoration London oeWholly original in its approach, this book explores the roles of the judgment of ugliness in British architectural discourse and social debates from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Ugliness and Judgment is a superb piece of scholarship, opening up new ways, through the lens of ugliness, to understand and connect a whole range of canonical figures, buildings, and themes. Daniel M. Abramson, author of Obsolescence: An Architectural History

Using selected episodes from English architectural history since the early eighteenth century, Hyde examines the ways in which architecture, as both a product and practice, has been evaluated against judgments of ugliness within wider external structures: in law, governance, the architectural profession, and the Church of England. In its aim and scope, Ugliness and Judgment represents a strikingly original contribution to the field. --Christine Stevenson, author of The City and the King: Architecture and Politics in Restoration London Wholly original in its approach, this book explores the roles of the judgment of ugliness in British architectural discourse and social debates from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Ugliness and Judgment is a superb piece of scholarship, opening up new ways, through the lens of ugliness, to understand and connect a whole range of canonical figures, buildings, and themes. --Daniel M. Abramson, author of Obsolescence: An Architectural History

Using selected episodes from English architectural history since the early eighteenth century, Hyde examines the ways in which architecture, as both a product and practice, has been evaluated against judgments of ugliness within wider external structures: in law, governance, the architectural profession, and the Church of England. In its aim and scope, Ugliness and Judgment represents a strikingly original contribution to the field. -Christine Stevenson, author of The City and the King: Architecture and Politics in Restoration London Wholly original in its approach, this book explores the roles of the judgment of ugliness in British architectural discourse and social debates from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Ugliness and Judgment is a superb piece of scholarship, opening up new ways, through the lens of ugliness, to understand and connect a whole range of canonical figures, buildings, and themes. -Daniel M. Abramson, author of Obsolescence: An Architectural History To call out ugliness, then, is a call to arms. While beauty basks lazily ad uselessly in its own perfection, ugliness spurs us into action. ---Igor Toronyi-Lalic, The Spectator Hyde's book confronts ugliness head on, using it as a way to interrogate British architectural discourse. . . . [His] research on the individual case studies is impeccable. ---Richard J. Williams, Times Higher Education

Discussions such as those effectively summarised in Ugliness and Judgement are so instructive when we evaluate how to apply concepts of beauty and ugliness in architectural debates. ---Alexander Adams, Salisbury Review To call out ugliness, then, is a call to arms. While beauty basks lazily and uselessly in its own perfection, ugliness spurs us into action. ---Igor Toronyi-Lalic, The Spectator The great achievement of this book is to show that, even if the language and opinions about taste change, debates about architecture have always had some common features. They are never just about buildings. ---William Whyte, Church Times Hyde's book confronts ugliness head on, using it as a way to interrogate British architectural discourse. . . . [His] research on the individual case studies is impeccable. ---Richard J. Williams, Times Higher Education A fascinating book. In taking as a point of departure the limitations of aesthetics, Hyde invites readers to understand the assessment of aesthetic failure as a wedge that pries open conversations about inadequate, unresolved, or unsatisfying social and legal arrangements. Ugliness, in his telling, points to gaps in social, regulatory, urban, and institutional fabrics. The author implies that the value of listening to complaints about buildings lies in discerning the issues that encounters with 'ugly' buildings bring to the fore. ---Kathryn O'Rourke, Rice Design Alliance This book is a welcome break from good taste. . . . If you have ever wondered why a certain building seems ugly, this book will help you understand why you feel that way. ---Lucy Watson, Financial Times

Wholly original in its approach, this book explores the roles of the judgment of ugliness in British architectural discourse and social debates from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Ugliness and Judgment is a superb piece of scholarship, opening up new ways, through the lens of ugliness, to understand and connect a whole range of canonical figures, buildings, and themes. --Daniel M. Abramson, author of Obsolescence: An Architectural History Using selected episodes from English architectural history since the early eighteenth century, Hyde examines the ways in which architecture, as both a product and practice, has been evaluated against judgments of ugliness within wider external structures: in law, governance, the architectural profession, and the Church of England. In its aim and scope, Ugliness and Judgment represents a strikingly original contribution to the field. --Christine Stevenson, author of The City and the King: Architecture and Politics in Restoration London

Author Information

Timothy Hyde is associate professor in the history and theory of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Constitutional Modernism: Architecture and Civil Society in Cuba, 19331959. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Twitter @hyde_timothy

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