They say, complete what you take at hand. But, in the literal sense, it is not possible to complete everything taken at hand. And we have standing examples and evidence to prove this. There are a whole lot of things left unfinished in this world. And one such thing is buildings. It is very surprising but yet true that certain most famous buildings are unfinished till date due to various reasons. And not just that, there are people who still take initiative in getting some completed by putting in all they have.
Contents
Famous Unfinished Buildings
Here is a list of 10 famous buildings that have been left unfinished and have a history and a list of reasons why they met this fate.
10. Westminster Cathedral
The Westminster Cathedral is a church in London. It is said to be not only one of the most beautiful churches in Europe but also one of the most beautiful in the world. It’s speciality is the brickwork. The brickwork of this church involves a lot of costs. The construction of this church had started in 1895. And till date, the entire location is still under construction. But, that doesn’t make it any less beautiful or less liked by the people of that area. It is visited by a lot of locals as well as tourists. And in spite of being unfinished, it is a place that is famous.
9. Deutsche’s Stadion
This one has an interesting history. It becomes an important landmark in history for one major reason that this building was a project that was undertaken by Adolf Hitler. The construction of this building started at Nuremberg in Germany in the year 1937. Hitler had conceptualized this building to be the hub of all the Nazi activities that included rallies and political activities. He had visualized replacing the Olympic games with the Aryan games and had wanted The Deutsche’s Stadion to be the venue for those games. The construction of the stadion was hampered and halted due to the World War II. This place is now a ruin with just a few half built pillars and a lake.
8. Cathedral of Saint John, The Divine
This church is located in Manhattan and is one of the most famous landmarks of the place. Due to it being unfinished till today, this church has earned a name for itself. It is called as “Saint John, The Unfinished”. It’s construction started in the year 1892. But, it was affected majorly by the economic ups and downs , the changes that were made time and again in the architecture of the structure and engineering problems. The architects and officials are still trying their best to get the structure completed so that they could claim rights of this iconic building.
7. Super Power Building
Okay, this building had another name for itself as well. It was supposedly called as the Heart of Scientology. The construction of this building started in the year 1999. It was scheduled to complete in a span of 2 years at an expense of $ 40 million. But, alas, the construction came to a halt in the year 2003. The reason was the replanning of the interiors which bought about additional costs throwing the set budget haywire. Since 2009, the place has been charged a $ 250 fine per day and still hasn’t been pulled down as a lot of followers offer their donations towards completion of this building.
6. International Space Station
The international space station is a structure that has been launched in space for space research purposes. It is still under construction when it was scheduled to be completed in the year 2005. Many countries have contributed a lot to complete the construction of the space station. And in spite of this, the space station is still half completed due to the components being added to it year after year. The International Space Station was launched in 1998 and the most recent addition was done in 2011.
5. Ajuda National Palace
The Portugese royal family resided at the Ajuda National Palace once upon a time. This palace stands in Lisbon in central Portugal. It is one of the most famous destinations of Portugal. It’s construction started in the year 1796. But, again it remains unfinished due to various reasons like lack of funds and the wars between the countries of the world. The palace is now converted into a museum and is still half complete.
4. Woodchester Mansion
This one is going to make your hair stand on end. The reason that this mansion stands incomplete is because it is said to be haunted. This place has also featured in a lot of ghost hunter and paranormal research television shows.Another practical reason for it remaining unfinished is the World War II. It attracts visitors and tourists due to the haunted angle attached to it. The most intriguing fact about this mansion is that the outer parts of the mansion is completely constructed but the insides completely unfinished.
3. New Zealand Parliament Buildings
The plan for building the New Zealand Parliament buildings was chalked out in the year 1911. It was planned to complete the construction in two main stages. The first stage comprised of the important parts of the Parliament being constructed. The second stage comprised of the construction of Library and Crown Law Office. The construction started in the year 1924. It suffered and halted in the year 1914 due to war. In 1995 the building was thrown open with the first part constructed and the stage 2 was incomplete. A little later the library was built which is called beehive. But still the New Zealand Parliament Buildings are not completely finished yet.
2.Marble Hill Nuclear Plant
In 1977 this ambitious project kick started. It was supposed to be thrown open 7 years from then in fully working state. But, due to reasons, this plant didn’t come to life ever. It’s value sunk by $ 5.2 Billion. Heavy losses were incurred. Machinery was sold to overcome as much loss as possible. But, it didn’t do any good and finally a full stop is being put on this project. The building is being demolished and being pulled down finally.
1. Sagrada Familia
This building is a church in Barcelona. It was even visited by the Pope. Antom Gaudi, the architect of this church died in an accident when a tram hit him before the construction of the church was complete. The church is still under construction and it is a famous tourist destination. It’s construction is still not given up on as tourist visiting the place make donations for its completion. It is estimated that the construction may be complete by the year 2026. What do you call this? The height of hope? But, after all, life is based on hope.