OK, the lawn could use some work, but McKeldin Library itself looks nice from the outside. Photograph via Wikimedia Commons.
The University of Maryland is filled with red-brick Georgian buildings, wide plazas and walkways, verdant landscaping, the Paint Branch Trail, and even a statue of Jim Henson. Nearly one-third of the 1,250-acre campus is a lush urban forest.
And Complex, a website that dishes out supposedly snarky lists targeted at young men, thinks Maryland is ugly—the 17th ugliest in the United States, to be precise. Complex’s latest trolly list ranks what it considers to be the 50 ugliest college campuses, and Maryland gets dinged for buildings like the McKeldin Library and The Armory.
Of Maryland, Complex writes:
Similar to many other campuses on our list, College Park is a brick wonderland. Its unfortunate Georgian aesthetic choice is the main reason this school gets on the list. With its cold, rigid architecture and need for high security, College Park leaves a lot to be desired.
To illustrate Maryland’s supposed hideousness, Complex uses a photo of McKeldin Library and its walkway of successive waterfalls taken on a dreary, overcast day, and another shot of the College Park Metro station. To be fair, the portion of College Park away from Route 1—the highways, strip malls, and mindless sprawl—isn’t that pretty, but to pin a campus’s alleged lack of scenic beauty on its proximity to a Metro station that looks like every other suburban Metro station is itself pretty cold and rigid.
Then again, this is from Complex, the same publication that put the Black Cat on its list of Washington’s “douchiest bars,” so the judgment here is pretty questionable.
The dishonors for ugliest college in the country went to Ave Maria University, a Catholic school in Florida built in 2007 by Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan. And for a man who made his fortune feeding starving, night-owl college kids, it sure is hideous.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
University of Maryland’s Campus Called One of Nation’s Ugliest
Then again, this ranking comes from the same website that besmirched the Black Cat.
The University of Maryland is filled with red-brick Georgian buildings, wide plazas and walkways, verdant landscaping, the Paint Branch Trail, and even a statue of Jim Henson. Nearly one-third of the 1,250-acre campus is a lush urban forest.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Cicadas Are the Next Plague That Will Keep You Indoors
Newsmax Pulls Sean Spicer’s Application to the White House Correspondents’ Association
Here’s Why the Washington Monument’s Lights Went Out Sunday Night
Capitol Riot Suspect Arrested in DC Airport After Bizarre Series of Events
Tom Friedman Says He Knows Larry Hogan Is Governor of Maryland
Washingtonian Magazine
January 2021: Joe Town!
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Video From Fall Real Estate Market Update With Local Leaders
Washingtonian Real Estate Virtual Happy Hour
Videos from Washingtonian’s Wellness Day
Washingtonian Wellness Day
More from News & Politics
Virginia’s Tightened Covid Restrictions Will Extend Through February
More Ride-Sharing Mopeds May Soon Be Coming to DC
Rejoice! There Is Going to Be a Free Livestream of the Giant Panda Cub Today.
Hello to DC’s (Hopefully) First Boring Wednesday in 2021
The True Story of Jess Krug, the White Professor Who Posed as Black for Years—Until It All Blew Up Last Fall
Could Northern Virginia Land a Vaccination Supersite?
A Frustrated Writer Built a Useful (and Fun) Site for New Authors
What’s Going On at MASN?