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City Hall Isn't So Ugly, Really

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Three examples of modernist architecture in and around Boston: the Wellesley College Science Center, the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, the Boston Architectural Center (Bruce T. Martin)
(Courtesy of Bruce T. Martin)

It goes without saying that Boston is known for its tony 19th century architecture — the gaslit streets of Beacon Hill, Charles Bulfinch's Faneuil Hall.

But Boston is also famous for its modern architecture. Or maybe infamous. Boston's 1969 City Hall recently nabbed the No. 1 spot on a list of the "World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings," and it's not the only brutalist building in town. Many of the concrete and glass structures from that era are scorned as dreary, out-of-place, and user-unfriendly.

But some architecture fans are arguing that Boston's modernist buildings deserve some love. Radio Boston's Adam Ragusea reports.

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