Top 10 Eccentric Buildings

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In a world of bland, corporate buildings, thank goodness for those architects and designers who express their individuality. They brighten up our world. From works of art to the downright wacky, here is a list, some of which I have been fortunate to see in the flesh.
10. Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao, Spain



No list is possible without the architect Frank Gehry. Built alongside the Nervion River, the curves are typical Gehry and were designed to catch the light. The museum, opened to the public in 1997, exhibits Spanish and international artists and the unusual design made it an important tourist attraction for the town. Gehry wanted the design to resemble a ship in honour of Bilbao’s status as a port. The building is made of limestone and glass, and titanium panels made to look like fish scales.

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9. Dali Theatre and Museum – Figueras, Spain



Another Spanish art museum, this houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s artwork in the world. Figueras was the artist’s birthplace and he wanted to rebuild the old theatre from the ruins left by the bombs of the Spanish Civil War. The museum opened in 1974 and was expanded through the 1980s. Dali supervised the design, which matched the eccentricity of his paintings and sculptures, particularly in the giant eggs on the roof. Dali’s crypt is in the basement.

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8. Turning the Place Over – Liverpool, England



This is an art installation contained within a derelict building, which has served as an attraction during Liverpool’s tenure as European City of Culture. Sculptor Richard Wilson’s creation surprises passers-by. An oval shaped 8-metre diameter section of the wall was cut and made to spin round on a pivot to reveal the interior of the building.

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7. The Mushroom Tree House – Cincinnati, Ohio



This other worldly construction looks as if it was transplanted from a children’s picture book. It doesn’t appear to have been built at all and looks like it sprung up from the ground. The effect was achieved by the former Professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati, the late Terry Brown. Brown’s students helped with the project and were graded for it. It can be found in the Hyde Park district of the city.

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6. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Building – Branson, Missouri



The Branson museum is one of a chain of museums, housing the bizarre artifacts owned by the Ripley franchise. The building was designed to commemorate the devastating earthquake, which registered over 8.0 on the Richter Scale, in 1812 in New Madrid, Missouri. The crack across the building gives the impression that it has just survived its own earthquake. The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida is designed to appear as if it is sinking into the ground.