Popular Idaho Venue Named Among America’s 100 Ugliest Buildings

Since 1990, it’s hosted everything from concerts and theater performances to Oktoberfest celebrations and Christmas shows. For some reason, this beloved building in Canyon County just found itself on a national list that no one wants to be on.  

The Robert Dekanski Team at Re/Max 1st Advantage recently shared a list of the “Ugliest Public Buildings in America.” According to the article, they approached more than 3,000 people and asked them to name the ugliest public building in America. 

READ MORE: Is This Really the Most Miserable City in Idaho?

From court houses to libraries, it was pretty clear that not every civic structure in the United States was created equal. For every jaw dropping building like Stephan A. Schwarzman branch of the New York City Public Library, there’s a hideous concrete fortress like the Buffalo City Court. 

Idahoans, especially those living in the Treasure Valley will recognize at least one of the buildings on the list. At #87, the Nampa Civic Center earned the dishonor of the ONLY landmark in Idaho to earn the distinction of being an “ugly” building. 

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The realty team only added descriptions to its top five, so we’re scratching our heads trying to piece together how one of Canyon County’s most dependable gathering spots ended up on the list. 

From the outside, the Nampa Civic Center doesn’t exactly scream architectural masterpiece, but we’re not sure that a boxy shape, flat roofline, mix of tan brick and grey trim makes it an eyesore. We could, however, see how someone may mistake it for a strip mall or oversized DMV if they didn’t know that it was an event venue.   

At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But for 35 years, the Nampa Civic Center has been a place for Idahoans to celebrate, laugh and make memories. That speaks volumes of its value to the community more than a list put together by New Jersey based realtors. 

The only question I have now is how did a sample size that’s less than one-thousandth of America’s population even know the Nampa Civic Center existed? 

Author’s Note: I will say that what the crows that live NEAR the Civic Center did to my poor Subaru while we were attending an Instapot Cooking Class there, was truly hideous. Pro-tip? The crow problem they say Nampa has is real and they seem to all live in the neighborhood behind the Civic Center.