September 2014 | Eyesore

Commentary on architectural blunders in monthly serial.

Behold the new gerbil cage for children in Queensbury, New York. Notice that there are no children there. The reason: it is a completely unrewarding place to play. In fact, it was designed not for children but for lawyers in this lawsuit-happy land. In attempting remove every possible hazard to health and safety, they have succeeded in making it boring, de-natured, and quite spectacularly ugly. The chain link fence is a nice touch. It prepares children for life on Cellblock D.

Check out the black asphaltic-rubberized “play surface.” That’s really inviting, isn’t it? Like the LaBrea tar pit. I wonder how hot it gets on that pad at, say, 4:00 o’clock of a September afternoon.

This shot gives you a nice sense of interface between the “facility” and the stuff around it. Parking-lot quality! The sign contains all the legal disclaimers and prohibitions — among which: children must be accompanied by an adult. How sad is that?

Thanks to Marisa Muratori for the nomination.