Architecture During American Colonization

Architecture during
American Colonization
With the arrival of the Americans in 1898 came a new breed of architectural
structures in the Philippines. Foremost of the American contributions to the
country was the establishment of civil government. This led to the erection of
government buildings from the city all the way to the municipal level.
Designed in the most respectable manner, these government houses
resembled Greek or Roman architecture .[18]
The revival period, popular at the turn of the century, became the foremost
architectural parlance of the era as seen in such buildings particularly in
Manila. Education of the masses also became the thrust of the
American occupation , as such, public education was established, foremost of
which is the University of the Philippines. [With American rule firmly
established in the Philippines, the military government at the time invited the
well-known architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham to develop Manila.[19]
Burnhams arrival led to the formation of the Burnham Plan which identifies
the city of Manila as a uniquely European city in the tropics and as such
opposed to develop its architecture in line with the existing style. The style of
architecture, as suggested, varies little from existing architecture at the time
as typified by the Manila Hotel.[New structures continued the use of
conventional motifs but were made of more durable materials such as
concrete. This style of architecture prevailed even after the turn of the
century.
Art Deco Theaters

During the rise of cinema in the Philippines as a form of recreation,
several theaters were constructed in the 1930s to 1950s in the
Art Deco style designed by prominent architects now recognized as
National Artists. The Manila Metropolitan Theater is an Art Deco
building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and built
in 1935. During the liberation of Manila by the combined American
and Flipino troops in 1945, the theatre was totally destroyed. After
reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the
1960s. In the following decade it was meticulously restored but again
fell into decay. The sculptures upon the faade of the theater are by
Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from
1930 until his death in 1958, and worked closely with Juan M.
Arellano. Highly stylized relief carving of Philippine plants executed
by the artist Isabelo Tampingco decorate the lobby walls and interior
surfaces of the building.
El fraile island "The concrete

battleship
The El Fraile Island or Fort Drum, also known as "the
concrete battleship," is a heavily fortified island
situated at the mouth of Manila Bay in the Philippines,
due south of Corregidor Island. The
reinforced concrete fortress shaped like a battleship
was built by the United States in 1909 as one of the
harbor defenses at the wider South Channel entrance
to the bay during the American colonial period. It was
captured and occupied by the Japanese during
World War II, and was recaptured by the U.S. after
igniting petroleum and gasoline in the fort, leaving it
permanently out of commission.
El Fraile/Fort Drum
The following are the Philippine architects who

contributed and lead to the design of the classic
Philippine theaters:
Juan Nakpil
Juan Arellano
Pablo Antonio
During American colonial rule over the Philippines,

there were a variety of rural anti-colonial
movements, often with religious undertones,[22] and
American Protestant missionaries introduced several
alternatives to the Roman Catholic Church, the
established church during Spanish colonial period.[23]
The Iglesia ni Cristo is an international Christian
religion that originated in 1914. Their church
buildings primarily serve as places of worship and
are used for other religious functions. These
churches were described as structures "which
employ exterior neo-Gothic vertical support columns
with tall narrow windows between, interlocking
trapezoids, and rosette motifs, as well as tower and
spires." There are multiple entrances leading to the
main sanctuary, where males and females sit on
either side of the aisle facing a dais where sermons
Meanwhile, Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita, an anthropologist from Ateneo

de Manila University,[25] 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 INC Central Temple which opened in July 27, 1984, can
accommodate up to 7,000 persons, and cost about US$2 million. [26]
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 oversees the uniformity in design of
church buildings.[24]
Carlos Ral Villanueva
Juan Nakpil
In 1902 Judge William Howard Taft was appointed to head the Philippine
Commission to evaluate the needs of the new territory. Taft, who later
became the Philippines' first civilian Governor-General, decided that Manila,
the capital, should be a planned town. He hired as his architect and city
planner Daniel Hudson Burnham, who had built Union Station and the
post office in Washington.
In Manila, Mr. Burnham had in mind a long wide, tree-lined boulevard
along the bay, beginning at a park area dominated by a magnificent hotel.
To design, what is now known as, the Manila Hotel Taft hired William E.
Parsons, a New York architect, who envisioned an impressive, but
comfortable hotel, along the lines of a California mission, but grander. The
original design was an H-shaped plan that focused on well-ventilated rooms
on two wings, providing grand vistas of the harbor, the Luneta, and
Intramuros. The top floor was, in fact, a large viewing deck that was used
for various functions, including watching the American navy steam into the
harbor.
In 1911 the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Manila Army and
Navy Club at the shore of Manila Bay bordering the Luneta Park. The
building consisits of a Grand entrance and has three stories that
housed the various function rooms and the Hotel rooms. It has been in
use far into the eighties however it has fallen into dacay and is in need
of restoration.
At T.M. Kalaw Street stands on of the remaining structures that
survived the liberation of Manila in 1945 , the "Luneta Hotel."
The Manila Metropolitan Theatre is an art deco building designed by

the Filipino architect Juan M. de Guzman Arellano, and built in 1935.
During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945, the theatre
we totally destroyed. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually
fell into disuse in the 1960s. In the following decade it was
meticulously restored but again fell into decay. Recently a bus station
has been constructed at the back of the theatre. The City of Manila is
planning a renovation of this once magnificent building.
In 1940 the Jai Alai building was constructed along Taft

avenue, designed by architect Welton Becket. It has been
built in the Philippine Art Deco style. In addition to the Jai
Alai game it included the famous " Sky Lounge".
Unfortunately, demolition began on July 15, 2000 on the
orders of Mayor Lito Atienza. The building is now gone for
ever.
The [Far Eastern University (FEU)] FEU was awarded the

UNESCO Heritage Award in 2005 for being the only preserved
and enduring Art Deco structure in the Philippines. Although
the FEU was totally damaged during World War II, the
university was restored to its original Art Deco design in the
American Period.
The National Monument to Dr.

Jose Rizal
The bronze and granite Rizal monument located in Rizal Park,

Manila, has long been considered among the most famous
sculptural landmarks in the Philippines. The monument is
located near the very spot where Dr. Jose Rizal was executed
December 30, 1896.
On 28 September 1901, the Philippine Assembly approved Act No. 243,

granting the right to use public land upon the Luneta in the city of
Manila where a monument shall be erected to Jose Rizal. As conceived
by the Act, the monument would not merely consist of a statue, but also
a mausoleum to house Rizals remains. A Committee on the Rizal
Mausoleum consisting of Poblete, Paciano Rizal (the heros brother),
Juan Tuason, Teodoro R. Yangco, Mariano Limjap, Dr. Maximo Paterno,
Ramon Genato, Tomas G. del Rosario and Dr. Ariston Bautista was
created. The members were tasked, among others, with raising funds
through popular subscriptions. The estimated cost of the monument was
P100,000. By January 1905, that goal had been oversubscribed. When
the campaign closed in August 1912, the amount collected had reached
P135,195.61 More than twelve years after the Philippine Assembly
approved Act No. 243, the shrine was finally unveiled on December 30,
1913 during Rizals 17th death anniversary.
The Church of the Holy Sacrifice
The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice is the first circular church and the
first thin-shell concrete dome in the Philippines The Parish of the
Holy Sacrifice is the landmark Catholic chapel in the University of
the Philippines, Diliman. Known for its architectural design, the
church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a
Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Institute and the
National Museum respectively.
It was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro
Locsin, which was only one of the five national artists who
collaborated on the project. Alfredo Juinio served as the structural
engineer for the project. Other Filipino artists contributed to the
design of the interior of the church: Around the Chapel are fifteen
large murals painted by Vicente Manansala depicting the Stations of
the Cross; The marble altar and the large wooden cross above it
were sculpted by Napoleon Abueva; The mosaic floor mural called
the River of Life was designed by Arturo Luz.
Antipolo Church
The image of "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage" has been
venerated in the church of Antipolo for centuries. The old
church that housed the virgin was destroyed in February
1945 when the Americans bombed Antipolo as part of the
liberation campaign of Manila. In 1954 a new church was
build designed by the renowned Filipino architect Jose de
Ocampo. This church is of a coupular design centered around
the image of the Virgin. It functions as the center point of the
pilgrimages to Antipolo.

Architecture During American Colonization

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Architecture During American Colonization

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Architecture during

Art Deco Theaters

El fraile island "The concrete

The following are the Philippine architects who

During American colonial rule over the Philippines,

Meanwhile, Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita, an anthropologist from Ateneo

Prominent architects, such as Juan Nakpil (a

Carlos Ral Villanueva

The Manila Metropolitan Theatre is an art deco building designed by

In 1940 the Jai Alai building was constructed along Taft

The [Far Eastern University (FEU)] FEU was awarded the

The National Monument to Dr.

The bronze and granite Rizal monument located in Rizal Park,

On 28 September 1901, the Philippine Assembly approved Act No. 243,

The Church of the Holy Sacrifice

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