I do know what you mean. Everything's designed to not get damaged and not cause anyone to get sued these days. Victorian buildings and vehicles on the other hand, just seem to look gorgeous by default.
Even a sewage pumping station:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_Mills_Pumping_Stati...
vs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_abbey_mills_pumping_s...