Esquire Magazine called it, “The Worst Building in the History of Mankind,” others dubbed it, “The Ugliest Structure.” Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, has been empty since 1992 when construction stopped, until now.
Work on the Ryugyong Hotel began in 1987, some say in jealousy at South Korea, who was preparing to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. As construction continued, those proud of the hotel boasted about it and it is said that North Korean leader Kim II-sung, saw it as his dream for the city.
In 1992, the construction on the three sided, 105-story pyramid hotel was put to a halt. Funding for the hotel ran out after the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea's main benefactor.
For the last 16 years, the 3,000 room, unfinished hotel has stood empty. It has been such an embarrassment that the North Korean government has had it removed from all official photos. Tour guides claim not to know where the hotel is, even though it is visible from nearly every point in the city.
Now, the Hotel of Doom is back in the news as Egypt's Orascom group starts up its construction. Refurbishing of the top three floors has already began, glass panels have been installed as well as telecommunications antennas. There is some concern from other architects on whether the lower grape concrete used for the hotel is structurally sound.
Completion of the Hotel of Doom is said to cost near two billion dollars. Some believe that this huge, hideous skyscraper will remain unfinished and vacant forever.
