ANTONIO, PABLO S.

(January 25, 1901 June 14,

1975)
IDEAL THEATER
CONSTRUCTED: 1933
DEMOLISHED: 1970s to give way in
the construction of a
department store
~

The
Ideal
Theater
was
an
art-deco
masterpiece designed by the National Artist for
Architecture Pablo Antonio in 1933. The
theater, owned by the Roces family, in partnership
with Teotico, Basa, Tuason, and Guidote families,
has been operating since 1912, with the first
theater made out of wood.

The
Ideal
projected
an
art-deco
style
of
architecture. This type of architectural style was prevalent in the 1930s, wherein cinemas and
theaters were designed using this style. One of its interesting features is that it boasted a
streamline design -- that is, it was adorned with smooth curves and finishes. After its completion
in 1933, the Ideal became one of the city's best theaters. Because of its location along the
Avenida de Rizal, many theaters soon rose on its grounds. Rival theaters such as the State, Ever,
and Avenue owned by the Rufino family built their theaters along Avenida de Rizal.

MANILA POLO CLUB

CONSTRUCTED: 1950
~ Jack Manning, who was the manager of the
Manila Polo Club, commissioned National Artist
for Architecture Pablo Antonio in 1950 to build
the Polo Club after he saw Antonios own
residence in Pasay. It struck Manning that
Antonios residence already looked like a
country club where there was lush greenery
and a lot of calm tranquility.
Aside from school and government buildings,
Antonio
also
designed
theaters
and
apartments however, he considered the Manila
Polo Club as one of his best. Clean lines, plain surfaces and bold rectangular masses
characterized his architecture, employing wood, stone and reinforced concrete.

GALAXY THEATER

CONSTRUCTED: 1950s
DEMOLISHED: 2008 to make way for a 22-story condominium on
the site.
~ This was a lovely movie house, also among the prime movie

houses during its time. The use of sun buffles created a very
dignified character to the structure. The stairway leading the
balcony was very graceful. The arcade post was accented with
mahjong-like blocks.
A behemoth of a theater
the Mapua Institute of Technology,
(C.M. Recto) line, almost opened in
because there was a big technical
the opening for over a year. The
feature
(wider
than
Cinemascope
and
VistaVision),
which
were
in
the
Hollywood 1950s' pipeline. But when
first finished, the theater was
too shallow to show a 70mm
image properly. The parallax
calculation was all wrong; a
deeper theater was needed. So
the owner, Zosima Laperal
Garcia , enticed Mapua Institute
of Technology to sell her some
land in order to extend the
theater

named the Galaxy, beside

south of the Azacarraga
1955.
I
say
"almost"
miscalculation that delayed
Galaxy had been built to
70mm/Todd-AO
movies

Galaxy became the home of roadshow films like Around the World in 80 Days, South Pacific,
El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, My Fair Lady and The Ten Commandments (which was the first
film to charge the highest admission prices of P2.00, P3.00 and P5.00 and played for some
seven months).

computer graphic image of how it looked

pristinely in its heyday. (Source: CG Pinoy,
image by RQUI)

CONCIO, CESAR HOMERO SR.(Nov. 30, 1907Apr. 14,

2003)
INSULAR LIFE

BUILDING

CONSTRUCTED: 1962
~Previously, it held
Makati
City.
surpass the
vertical
within

its corporate offices at the Insular Life Building in

That building was built in 1962 and was the first to
30 meter height restriction in the Philippines. It has
gently curving faade entirely covered by narrow
aluminum projections that were set close together
square modules to conceal the curtain wall behind it.
Originally designed by Cesar Concio, the building was
controversially redeveloped in 2005 with a design by
the Japanese firm, Takenobu Mohri Architects and
Associates

Old corporate headquarters of the Insular

Life Corporation. The life insurance company
moved to their new building in Muntinlupa. This building was
supposed to be demolished in the fourth quarter of
2002 to make way for a 135,000 square meter
office tower to be built by Insular Life Corporation.
However, the building has never been demolished. Instead, the building underwent a
redevelopment and modernization process including new cladding. Ever since the Insular Life
Building houses the local head offices in Makati.

HALL, U.P. DILIMAN

MELCHOR AND PALMA

CONSTRUCTION: 1939
~Palma Hall was designed by
the first campus architect, Cesar
Homero Rosales Concio. He also
designed the twin building of
Palma Hall--Melchor Hall (known
also
as the College of Engineering
building) which is originally
similar in structure and volume but modifications to the buildings have been made in the
subsequent years. It is said that the design for Palma Hall and Melchor Hall was influenced by
the popular City Beautiful Movement during that time.
The main building is an asymmetrical structure and is divided into two wings, where the east
wing has four floors and the west wing with three, imposed by a central section. Each wing
features a continuous open balcony in each floor. The main entry of the building is a rectangular
three-story-high portal, where the balconies of the second and third floor overlook it. The overall
idea of the design is to make the structure well-ventilated and to let natural lighting enter its
halls. This shows Cesar Concio's architectural style of having a rational approach in design
resulting in logically arranged spaces, neatness of form and successful adaptation to climate.
Furthermore, it also exhibits the architectural style that propagated during that time that
characterizes an interrelation of space and transparency in its design that reflects the Filipino
quality of lightheartedness. The Hall also has pavilions where the institutes of the College of
Science are located, namely: Pavilions 1 and 2 (the only pavilions with three floors) of the
Institute of Chemistry, Llamas Science Hall or Pavilion 3 of the National Institute of Physics, and
Pavilion 4 of the Institute of Biology. In the future, the said Institutes will move out of the
pavilions to the new National Science Complex, in order to give way for the other departments
of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy to occupy them.
Palma is the largest classroom building complex in Diliman that was initially 22,990 square
meters initially but has now been expanded by buildings such as the Third World Studies Center.

ARGUELLES, CARLOS D. (Sept. 15, 1917Aug. 19,

2008)
PHILAM LIFE BUILDING

CONSTRUCTED: 1961
~The multi-storey reinforced concrete block is
draped with aluminum brise-soleil which help
manipulate the shade and shadow within the
building and control the entrance of light to the
interior without sacrificing the external appearance of
the building. The building was covered with graytinted, anti-glare, heat-absorbing glass curtain
walls to further reduce the heat inside.
The
windows were framed by concrete columns which
heightened the overt grid of the facade. Due to
the satisfactory response to the sun baffles,
Philam Life requires its entire branch in the
Philippines to apply this in their architecture.
The building's sculptural entrance was covered of
molded thin shell concrete that dramatically
brings the people to the interior lobby. The rear
exit, which was in the exterior portion of the
building, is connected to the streets by the
walkway designed with "a series of flower-like
concrete hyperbolic paraboloid covers". In the interior,
there is the 780-seat auditorium with walls that
were
generously
paneled with narra. Beyond the auditorium lobby is
the transparent glass walls that brings the landscaped areas in the building. The auditorium of
the building is the first one to be built that complied with the acoustical requirements of an
auditorium after the World War II.

HOLIDAY INN ROXAS BLVD.

CONSTRUCTED: 1993
~Rising magnificently at the heart of the Ortigas Center, the
newest business and commercial hub of Manila, Holiday Inn
Galleria Manila offers an experience beyond de luxe.
Towering atop one of the most modern shopping
complexes in Metro Manila, the thirty-storey structure
pays homage to the discriminating taste of the
corporate executive.
Since its inception in 1993, the hotel has gained a
polished reputation as an international gateway to
the world of business. Revolving around the
complex needs of the discerning executive, the
Holiday Inn Galleria Manila perfectly complements
any business affair.
Manila is the cosmopolitan capital of the
Philippines. Manila is a combination of traditions
and modernism that offers an endless serving of
places to see sights to behold and experiences to
never forget. The innumerable Hotels in Philipines provides different types of accommodation
according to different needs of the travelers. If you are looking for homely comfort then Holiday
Inn Galleria in Manila is the right option for you.

MANILA PAVILION (MANILA HILTON )

CONSTRUCTED: 1960s

~Dominating Manila's skyline is the 22-storied Manila Hilton, the nation's tallest
building and largest hotel. Located in United Nations Avenue - the hub of business ans
culture, the Hilton offers to its clientele the best in everything, art cuisine and warm
Philippine hospitality.
Now known as Waterfront Manila Pavilion hotel. The Manila Hilton was Manila's
tallest building for a decade after it was built. The owners then were the Delgado
family. They hired Carlos Arguelles and Welton Becket. This project was very important
for Becket that his architecture biography allotted a whole chapter of the building The
hotel, "sophisticated, modern in every way, luxurious to a degree, in which almost
every item of furniture or furnishings was made of beautiful native materials by Filipino
workmen in designs done specifically for the hotel." "It helped fuel a movement for
rediscovering indigenous design and local materials, and reviving craftsmanship. It
helped, along with other projects of the era, to put Filipino architects on the same level
as foreign ones" The hotel was known then as the only true five star hotel in Manila It
popularized the concept of an in-house art gallery for the hotel industry The site which
the building now stands was the former location of the Cathedral of St. Mary and St.
John (Episcopal Church).

LOCSIN, LEANDRO V. (Aug. 15, 1928Nov. 15, 1994)

HOLY SACRIFICE
CONSTRUCTED:

early

~ Parish of the
Holy Sacrifice is commonly
the
Roman
Catholic
the late National Artist for
five National Artists
Juinio served as

CHURCH
1950s
Holy Sacrifice or the Church of the
known as the UP Chapel. It belongs to
Diocese of Cubao. It was designed by
Architecture, Leandro Locsin, one of
who collaborated on the project.Alfredo
the structural engineer for the project.

The arrangement of the interior of the

church is concentric, with the altar in
the middle. Initially, Leandro Locsin
designed the
church for the Ossorio family, who were
planning to build a chapel in Negros.
Unfortunately, the plans for the chapel
were scrapped when Frederic Ossorio, the head of the family, left for the United States. In 1955,
Father Delaney commissioned Locsin to design a chapel that was open and could easily
accommodate 1,000 people. The Church of Holy Sacrifice became the first circular chapel with
the altar in its center in the country. It is also the first to have a thin shell concrete dome.

FOLK ARTS
(Tanghalang
Balagtas)
CONSTRUCTED:
~In

1973,

THEATER
Francisco
1970s
Margarita

Moranbeat Miss USA for the title of Miss UniverseThat win

for
the
national pride must have got Imelda thinking, The next Miss
Universe pageant must be held here in Manila. Lets build a venue!Once again the First Lady
called upon the talents of architect Leandro V. Locsin, who designed a very simple amphitheatre,
open on three sides to the fresh air off
Manila Bay. And once again, Locsin provided
his signature floating volume
that seems impossibly heavy but light at the
same
time.
The
building has
the

largest
free-span in the Philippines and was
completed
in
seventy-seven
days! (giving rest to the notion of
third world inefficiency). The Folk Arts
Theater is big, it has a capacity of
8,458 divided into ten.
the Folk Arts Theater was rushed to
completion. The worlds press came
Manila, and the First Couple presided
over the proceedings. It was the first
Miss U to be held in Asia and the first
be telecast in the early morning for
live satellite coverage to the allimportant American audience.

to

to

PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

CENTER (PICC)
CONSTRUCTED: Nov. 1974 to Sept. 1976
~ The Philippine International Convention
Center is composed of five building
modules; the Delegation Building,
Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall,
Reception Hall and The Forum. The
facility has a floor area of more than
70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft).
Presidential Decree No. 520 authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (now Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that
purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a conference center. Thus, the Philippine
International Convention Center was organized under the Corporation Code. The Philippine
International Convention Center (PICC) is dedicated to the task of bringing peoples and nations
together and providing a place where they can meet and exchange ideas that may perhaps
open doors to better world understanding and peace.

ISTANA NURUL IMAN

(Palace of the sultan,
Brunei)
CONSTRUCTED: 1984

~The Istana Nurul Iman palace

(Jawi: ) is the

government.

official residence of the Sultan

of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and
the
seat
of
the
Brunei

The name "Istana Nurul Iman" is taken from Persian Astane and Arabic Nur-ol Imaan and means
Palace of the Light of Faith. Use of architectural motif of golden domes and vaulted roofs to echo
Brunei's Islamic and Malay influences. The interior of the palace was designed by Khuan Chew,
Design Principal of KCA International, whose other works include the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
Construction was handled by Ayala International, a Filipino construction firm, and completed in
1984 at a total cost of around $1.4 Billion USD

NINOY
AQUINO
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CONSTRUCTED:1978-1981
~Actual work on the terminal began
during the second quarter of 1978. The
terminal was completed in 1981 and had
a size of 67,000 square meters with a
design capacity of 4.5 million passengers
per
year
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal
1...The development of the Manila
International Airport was spearheaded by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, through the
promulgation of Executive Order No. 381, which authorized the airport's development.
In 1973, a feasibility study/airport master plan was done by Airways Engineering Corporation
through a US$29.6 million loan from the Asian Development Bank. The Detailed Engineering
Design of the New Manila International Airport Development Project was done by Renardet-

Sauti/Transplan/F.F. Cruz Consultant while the terminal's Detailed Architectural Design was
prepared by Leandro Locsin's L.V. Locsin and Associates. In 1974, the detailed designs were
adopted by the Philippine Government and was subsequently approved by the Asian
Development Bank on September 18, 1975

ANDRES LUNA DE SAN PEDRO (Sept. 9, 1887Jan. 22,

1952)
SAN VICENTE DE PAUL CHAPEL
CONSTRUCTED: 1883 renovated 1909
~ San Vicente de Paul Church is located inside
the campus of Adamson university in San
Marcelino, Paco, Manila. The chapel built in
1883 was used as parish of Paco from 1898
to 1909 and was reconstructed out of concrete in
1912 in memory of the arrival of the Vicentians
and sisters of charity in the Philippines.

MAPUA, TOMAS BAUTISTA (Dec. 21, 1888Dec. 22,

1965)
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY BLDG
CONSTRUCTED: 1920-1924
~ St. La Salle Hall is an H-shaped four-storey
structure built in neoclassical style in the
Philippines. It was built from 1920 to 1924 to
serve as the new campus of De La Salle
College (De La Salle University) due to lack
of space of the previous campus in Paco,
Manila, and to accommodate its increasing
student population. It served as the grade
school and high school building back when
the college was still offering those levels.
Originally built as a three-storey structure, a
fourth level was added in the 1990s for the
residence of the De La Salle Brothers.The ground floor houses the College of
Business.Meanwhile, the second floor of the St La Salle Hall houses the Chapel of the Most
Blessed Sacrament, as well as the office of the De La Salle Alumni Association in the south wing.
The structure was severely damaged during the liberation of Manila in World War II. Numerous
civilians took refuge in the building for protection. Restoration of the building after the war took
two years and cost 246,883 (US$5,720). Retrofitting has undergone in the building since
January 2011, and is planned to be completed by 2012.

The LaSallian, the official student newspaper of the university, identifies it as "DLSU's most
historic building." It is the only Philippine structure featured in the book 1001 Buildings You Must
See Before You Die: The Worlds Architectural Masterpieces published by Quintessence Editions
Ltd. in 2007

NURSES HOME AT THE P.G.H.

CONSTRUCTED:

1915

~Tomas Mapua, who graduated from Cornell

University in 1911 and worked as draftsman
at the Bureau of Public Works from that year
until 1915, designed the Nurses Home of
the PGH, one of the finest examples of the
neo-renaissance style in the country.
The hospital was founded by Dean C.
Worcester, (1866 1924) an American
zoologist, public official, and authority on
the Philippines, born at Thetford, Vermont,
and educated at the University of Michigan
(A.B., 1889). From 1899 to 1901 he was a
member of the United States Philippine
Commission and then until 1913, he served
as secretary of the interior for the Philippine
Insular Government. Worcester founded the
Philippine General Hospital in 1910.

MENDOZA, FELIPE (May. 26, 1917Apr. 28, 2000)

BATASANG

PAMBANSA BLDGS.
CONSTRUCTED: 1958-1978

During the presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos,

the plans for a legislative complex were
revived. By that time, the 1973 constitution
had replaced the bicameral Congress with
the Batasang Pambansa, a unicameral
parliament.
The new complex was accordingly designed
to house only
one legislative body. Felipe M. Mendoza was
designated as the architect of the complex, and its surrounding area.The uncompleted structure
for the Capitol building was torn down to make way for the new complex. The North and South
Wing Buildings were completed in December 1977. Meanwhile, the Main Building itself finally
opened on May 31, 1978.However, the rest of the intended government buildings and public
spaces around the complex were never built. The legislative body first convened at the Main
Building on June 12, 1978.

MORMON TEMPLE
CONSTRUCTED: 1981

~The Manila Philippines Temple is the 29th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).On April 1, 1981, the LDS Church announced that a temple
would be built in the Philippines. The groundbreaking and site dedication for the temple were
on August 25, 1982. In January 1981, the LDS Church had purchased land in Quezon City, in
the Metro Manila area. The site was partly chosen because of its accessibility to members
throughout the temple district.
On September 25, 1984, Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the
Manila Philippines Temple. Along with the temples in Cebu
City and one announced in Urdaneta, the temple serves
half a million members of the LDS Church in the
Philippines, Micronesia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,
India, and part of Burma. The temple has four ordinance
rooms and three sealing rooms and has a total floor area
of 26,683 square feet (2,478.9 m2).

VIOLA, CARLOS SANTOS (Apr. 8,

1912Jul. 31, 1994)

Iglesia Ni Cristo Central Office

Central Temple

Iglesia Ni Cristo

~ His first exposure to the Iglesia Ni Cristo group was executed under Nakpil's company through
the Bishop's Palace in San Juan, Manila Brother Erano G. Manalo gave the subsequent project
directly to Santos-Viola and the rest is history.
They employ exterior neo-Gothic vertical support columns with tall narrow windows
between, interlocking trapezoids, and rosette motifs, as well as tower and spires. Meanwhile,
Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita, an anthropologist from Ateneo de Manila University,said that INC
churches can be uniquely identified for "its exuberant use of fanciful forms and ornaments [and
a] brilliant white facade whose silhouette is a cusped Gothic arch or a flattened Saracenic
arch."The distinctive spires represent "the reaching out of the faithful to God." Churches were

started to be built in this style during the late 1940s and early 1950s with the first concrete
chapel built in Sampaloc, Manila in 1948. The Central Temple which opened in July 27, 1984, can
accommodate up to 7,000 persons, and cost about US$2 million. The Central Temple features
octagonal spires, "fine latticework" and ribbed windows. Recent buildings are variations of Carlos
A. Santos-Viola's designs on the Central Temple. These are designed to accommodate 250 to
1,000 persons while larger churches in Metro Manila and provincial capitals can accommodate
up to 3,000 persons. Prominent architects, such as Juan Nakpil (a National Artist of the
Philippines for architecture) and Carlos Ral Villanueva, had been involved in designing INC
churches while the Engineering and Construction Department of INC, established in 1971,
oversees the uniformity in design of church buildings.

O CAMPO, FERNANDO H. (Aug. 7, 1897Jul. 31, 1984)

CENTRAL SEMINARY BUILDING UST
CONSTRUCTED: 1930s
~ was designed by Fernando Ocampo. It was
built in the 1930s. The plan of the seminary was
configured in the form of the letter E, with
courtyards bisecting the wings. The boxy
building had an elongated frontage assembling a
continuous band of balconies and windows on
the second and third level. The structures
horizontally-oriented massing was broken by an
engaged central section at the main entrance
and two other similar treatments at the end
portions. An art deco relief, bud-like finials, and a
tableau embellished the stepped pylon at the
entrance.

CHURCH OF OUR LADY

MOST HOLY ROSARY

OF

CONSTRUCTED: 1877
~The

foundations of the church were first

laid out on October 18, 1877 by the
founding families of Angeles City lead by
of Don Mariano V. Henson, It was as laid
out by city planners in the Spanish
colonial era and now is one of the most
distinctive landmark of the city today
because of its historical significance
related on how it was built. The church
was constructed from 1877 to 1896 by the "Polo y Servicio" labor system, defined as the forced
and unpaid labor of the Filipino native people for 40 days per year to all males from 1665 years
old by the Spanish colonial government. The first mass was held in the half of the church that
was finished by April 14, 1886. The second half of the church which includes the building's
distinctive dome, was finished on September 17, 1891. The twin bells were rung for the first
time on February 12, 1896. The church was finally finished as it still stands today on October
1909. It's engineering and architectural skills where provided by Don Antonio de la
Camara from Manila.

NAKPIL, JUAN F. (May. 26, 1899May. 7, 1986)

QUIAPO CHURCH

CONSTRUCTED: 1980s
~A Baroque
columns
the
twisted

church, the facade is distinctive with twisted

on both levels. The Corinthian columns of
second level has 1/3 of the shaft near the base in
form while the upper portion has a smooth surface.
The topmost portion of the four-story bell towers
are blustered and decorated with huge
scrolls. The tympanum of the pediment has
a pair of chalice-like decoration and
towards the end of the raking cornice urnlike vases the pediment terminates. With
its recent renovation, only the facade and
the dome at the transept retained the
classic design

RUFINO BUILDING,
AVENUE

AYALA

CONSTRUCTED: 1990s
~More commonly known as Rufino Tower or Rufino Plaza is an office
skyscraper and is one of the tallest in the Philippines. It remains as
tallest steel-framed building in the country.It has a ground to
architectural top height of 161 metres (528.22 feet), which is the
of measuring tall buildings.Counting its 8-storey radio tower, the
building has a total height of 200 metres (656.17 feet). It has a
of 41 stories above ground level, including a 10 storey podium
is actually the original building, the old V.A. Rufino Building, and
modified to be the podium of the new tower. It is one of the few
skyscrappers
that
utilizes
car
elevators.
Rufino Tower is designed with exterior double-glazed, unitized
curtain walls that create a facade that reflects a fusion of art
function. Its interiors are an elegant interplay of glass,
natural stone and metal. The building is the home of the
Rufino family corporations, including major financial
and insurance corporations. Also considering it as
home is the Czech Republic Embassy.Forbes
magazine consistently ranks members of the
Rufino Family in the Philippines' 40 Richest list.

the
basis
total
which
was

and