King of Boredom on the Prarie: Amateur Architectural Criticism of Madison, WI
For those of you who don't know, "King of Boredom" is a nickname given to me by a friend. I believe it is not a totally pejorative name -- at least I hope not -- but expresses some positive or at least nuanced side of boredom. I'm going for the same tone I describe the architecture of Madison, Wisconsin as boring. The city has an identifiable visual aesthetic, which right away places it above many US cities architecturally, but this aesthetic seems to overlap strongly with what I would consider to be boring. A major theme is "dun" colored stone, a hue Merriam-Webster describes as " a slightly brownish dark gray". Tan bricks are also commonly used. So, generally, are low horizontal lines. A 70's government office building with a concrete facade and rows of black windows, or a modest low-rise garden apartment complex, fit with this style incredibly well. These same buildings somewhere else would come off as mildly ugly, even in a region not know...