American Influences

on
Philippine Architecture
 The Philippine Architecture

 The architecture of the Philippines is a reflection

of the country's historical and cultural heritage.
Most prominent historic structures in the
archipelago are based on a mix of 
indigenous Austronesian, American, and Spanish
 influences.
 During three hundred years of Spanish colonialization,
the Philippine architecture was dominated by the
Spanish influences. TheAugustinian friars, along with
other religious orders, built a large number of grand
churches and cathedrals all over the Philippine
Islands. During this period the traditional
Filipino Bahay na bató (Filipino for "stone house")
style for the large houses emerged. These were large
houses built of stone and wood combining Filipino,
Spanish and Chinese style elements.
 The
Miag-ao
Church
 After the Philippines was ceded to the 
United States of America as a consequence of the 
Spanish–American War in 1898, the architecture of the
Philippines was dominated by American aesthetics. In this
period, the plan for the modern City of Manila was
designed, with a large number of neoclassical architecture
 and art deco buildings by famous American and Filipino
architects. During World War II, large portions of
Intramuros and Manila were destroyed. In the
reconstruction period after the Second World War, many
of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt.
 In the late 20th century, modern architecture with
straight lines and functional aspects was introduced,
particularly in the Brutalist architecture that
characterized government-built structures done in
the Marcos period. During this period many of the
older structures fell into decay. Early in the 21st
century, a revival of the respect for the traditional 
Filipino elements in the architecture returned.
The 20th Century Philippine Architecture
during American colonization

 After the Spanish American war in 1898 the

Americans took over rule of the Philippines until
after the second world war. During this period,
the Americans constructed many Art Nouveaux
buildings in Manila.
El Hogar Filipino 
 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.
 Many of these buildings were heavily damaged during
the Battle of Manila in 1945. After the second world war
many were rebuilt. Many buildings in Manila were
designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. de Guzman
Arellano.
 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 Hotel was completed in 1918 . According to study
by Dean Joseph Fernandez of the University of Santo
Tomas, the hotel was designed by the Spanish
architect-engineer Salvador Farre. The structure is the
only remaining example of the French Renaissance
architecture with Filipino stylized beaux arts in the
Phlippines to date. This famous landmark fell
gradually into decay. In 2007 the renovation activities
have started and it is hoped that this building will be
restored to its old grandeur.
The Manila Metropolitan Theatre
 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 1960’s. In the following
decade it was meticulously restored but again fell into
decay.
 The City of Manila is planning a renovation of this once
magnificent building.
 The sculptures in the façade of the Theatre are from
the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who
lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958, and
worked closely together with J.M. de Guzman
Arellano. Highly stylized relief carving of Philippine
plants executed by the artist Isabelo Tampingco
decorate the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the
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.
Far Eastern University Manila
 The Far Eastern University (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 Rizal’s remains.
  A Committee on the Rizal Mausoleum consisting
of Poblete, Paciano Rizal (the hero’s 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 Rizal’s 17th death anniversary.
 The Rizal Monument in Luneta was the work of a
Swiss sculptor named Richard Kissling. Kissling
was only the second placer in the international
art competition held between 1905 – 1907 for the
monument design.
 The first-prize winner was Professor Carlos Nicoli
of Carrara, Italy. His scaled plaster model titled
“Al Martir de Bagumbayan” (To the Martyr of
Bagumbayan) bested 40 other accepted entries.
Standalone movie theaters of the Philippines

 During the advent and continuous growth of

Philippine cinema in the early 90's, came with the
establishment of Philippine theaters in the
Metropolitan Manila along with those in the
Philippine provinces during the said period. Regular
live performances, film showings, and festivals used
to be held on the theaters that lead to significant
improvements on Philippine culture including film,
and performing arts.
 A number of Philippine cinemas were built within
the City of Manila in the 90's, and were designed
by prominent architects and currently recognized
as Philippine National Artists, but are closed due
to post-World War damages and to give way to
these days' city developments. 
 Examples of Filipino Architecture

 During the advent and continuous growth of

Philippine cinema in the early 90's, came with the
establishment of Philippine theaters in the
Metropolitan Manila along with those in the
Philippine provinces during the said period. Regular
live performances, film showings, and festivals used
to be held on the theaters that lead to significant
improvements on Philippine culture including film,
and performing arts.
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.
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 copular design centered around the
image of the Virgin. It functions as the center point of
the pilgrimages to Antipolo.