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Architect: unknown Date Built: 1937 Style: English Tudor House Location: Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay Philippines Construction: Established in the 1937 as Taal Vista Lodge with 12 cabanas then managed by Manila Hotel, it holds a heritage of excellent service. Built by the then leaders of the Commonwealth government, the lodge accommodated heads of state, government officials and famous personalities. The hotel also served as the venue of the cabinet meetings of the late President Manuel L. Quezon. In 1956, then First Lady Luz Magsaysay cut the ceremonial ribbon that re-launched Taal Vista Hotel. Now part of the SM Group of Companies.
PAMBANSANG MUSEO
Architect: Juan Arellano, Antonio Toledo Date Built: 1918 Style: Early Modern/Neo-Classical 1898 Location: Padre Burgos Avenue, Manila Construction: 1918 The Old Congress Building (also known as the Old Legislative Building) is a building located on Padre Burgos Avenue, Manila, Philippines. It is currently home of the National Art Gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines. From 1926 to 1972, and again from 1987 to 1997, the building was home to various legislative bodies of the Philippine government. The building was originally designed by Ralph Harrington Doane and Antonio Toledo in 1918, and was intended to be the future home of the National Library of the Philippines, according to the Plan of Manila of Daniel H. Burnham. Meanwhile, a Capitol building for the Philippine Legislature (established on October 16, 1916) was to rise on Wallace Field, just south of the library (the location is now Mara Y. Orosa Street in Rizal Park). Instead, the Philippine Legislature decided to move into the Library building in 1926, and changes to the building's layout were done accordingly by architect Juan M. Arellano. The building therefore became known as the Legislative Building. The Second Regular Session of the 7th Philippine Legislature was formally opened at the building on July 11, 1926. It was concurrently the headquarters of the National Library from 1928 to 1944. In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was inaugurated, and the inauguration ceremonies and oath-taking of President Manuel L. Quezon were held outside the building. The building became home of the National Assembly of the Philippines, and it was subsequently known as the National Assembly Building. In 1940, the National Assembly was replaced by a bicameral Congress of the Philippines, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate occupied the upper floors while the House occupied the lower floors. The building would serve as home of the Commonwealth Congress until 1945. In World War II, Japanese forces in Manila bombed and destroyed the building. Most of the structure was beyond repair, except for the still-standing central portion. With the inauguration of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946, the building was to be reconstructed to be the home of Congress. Reconstruction began in 1949, while the Congress moved back the same year. The two wings of the building were completed in 1950. The building was rebuilt mostly from memory, with the aid of a few remaining blueprints. The building became known as the Congress Building, and continuously served as home of the Congress of the Philippines until 1972 with the declaration of martial law. The Congress was effectively dissolved, and the building was padlocked. For a short time, the building became home of the offices of the Prime Minister of the Philippines, a position established under the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. The building was called the Executive House for the duration of that time. The Congress of the Philippines was reestablished with the ratification of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. While the House of Representatives moved to the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Constitution Hill, Quezon City, the Senate used the original Congress Building for their plenary sessions. The Senate would use the Congress Building until May 1997, when it moved to the GSIS Building on reclaimed land on Manila Bay in Pasay. The building was then turned over to the National Museum of the Philippines, and presently houses the National Art Gallery. On September 30, 2010, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared the building as a "National Historical Landmark" by virtue of Resolution No. 8 (dated September 30, 2010). A marker commemorating the declaration was unveiled on October 29, 2010.
IDEAL THETRE
Architect: Pablo Antonio Date Built: 1933 Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Rizal Ave., Manila Construction: 1933 The Ideal Theater was located at Rizal Avenue in Manila and designed by the late Architect Pablo Antonio in 1933. The theater was demolished in the late 1970s to give way to the construction of a department store. The Ideal Theater was one of the first major works of Pablo Antonio along with the buildings of Far Eastern University and Manila Polo Club.
NATIVIDAD BUILDING
Architect: unknown Date Built: Unknown Style: beau arts Location: Escolta, Manila Construction: 0
During its heydey, the Insurance Commission found its home here. The building is still pretty much in the best of conditions. Together with the neighboring Calvo Building, the Natividad has been described as beaux-arts in its style, a style that began in France in the 1800s or thereabouts.
CALVO BUILDING
Architect: Fernando Ocampo Date Built: Unknown 1930 Style: N/A Location: Escolta, Manila Construction: 0 - 1930 Built in 1933, the Calvo Building currently houses a little known museum illustrating Escolta's rich history, located on its 2nd floor. The museum showcases old photographs of Escolta, old newspapers and magazine clippings and detailled scale models of Escoltas architectural landmarks by UST architecture students of 1996. It also has an impressive Vintage Bottle and advertisements Collection. The Calvo building was the home to the studios and corporate offices of the Republic Broadcasting System. The first signals of radio station DZBB was sent from a makeshift studio on its 4th floor. That company, seven years after, moved to its current location along EDSA and is now more popularly known as GMA7.
TIMES THEATER
Architect: None Date Built: Unknown 1939 Style: N/A Location: Quiapo, Manila Construction: 0 - 1939 The Times Theater,along Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila, was designed by Architect Luis Z. Araneta. It was erected in 1939, with a Art Moderne relief. Although unmaintained, the theater is still operational today, and can accommodate 800 people with its single screen operations.
STATE THEATER
Architect: Juan Felipe Nakpil Date Built: Unknown Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Rizal Ave., Manila Construction: 0 Among the theaters that lined up in Rizal Avenue during the American colonial period. It was demolished in the 1990s.
LYRIC THEATER
Architect: None Date Built: Unknown Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Construction: 0 a defunct theater house located in Escolta, Manila. It was owned and operated by Eastern Theatrical, Inc. The theater had a seating capacity for 1,600 people.
KNEEDLER BUILDING
Architect: None Date Built: Unknown Style: N/A Location: Manila Construction: 0
AVENUE THEATER
Architect: Juan Felipe Nakpil Date Built: Unknown Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Rizal Avenue, Manila Construction: 0 Located along Rizal Avenue in Manila, the theater had a 1,000 seating capacity, with its lobby bearing a marble finish flooring. At one point, the building housed a hotel and also served as office space. In 2006, it was demolished to make way for a parking lot, as realty costs were too expensive for it to be maintained.
LIFE THEATER
Architect: Pablo Antonio Date Built: Unknown Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Quiapo, Manila Construction: 0 One of the works of Pablo Antonio, the Life Theater used to be one of Manila's prime movie houses. The theater was adorned with aluminum buffles and columns, consistent with its art deco design. Along with the Times Theater, the theater is found along Quezon Boulevard inQuiapo, Manila. It has been converted to a shopping center.
CAPITOL THEATER
Architect: Juan Felipe Nakpil Date Built: 1935 Style: Modernism/Philippine Art Deco 1898 Location: Escolta, Manila Construction: 1935 The Capitol Theater, situated in Escolta, Manila, was designed by Philippine National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil and was built in the 1930s with an approximate seating capacity of 800. This theater had a double balcony, which is a rare architectural design. With an art deco style by the architect, the theater's facade has reliefs of 2 muses done by Francesco Monti. The theater is now closed, its location serving as a venue for a few commercial establishments and restaurants in the said area.
UY-CHACO BUILDING
Architect: Samuel C. Rowell Date Built: Unknown 1881 Style: Pre-Modern 1565-1898 Location: Sta. Cruz, Manila Construction: 0 - 1881 Built in 1914 by Samuel C. Rowell, the 6-story Uy-Chaco Building on Plaza Cervantes is considered Manila's first skyscraper. The design is rather electric. However, its undulating balconies and iron grilles mark it as belonging to the Art Nouveau style, making it Manila's first and last building style. The most striking feature of the building is the projecting turret on its northeastern corner. The rounded corner, emphasized by curving railings, gives the building the appearance of a French chateau. Rising from the eaves is a gabled roof with round clocks instead of windows. The building also features eight distinctly-designed bats, and projecting balconies on the third, fourth and fifth, floors.
REGINA BUILDING
Architect: None Date Built: Unknown 1934 Style: Early Modern/Neo-Classical 1898 Location: Sta. Cruz, Manila Construction: 0 - 1934 One of the earliest structures made of reinforced concrete, a material introduced during the American colonial period. According to sources, the original three-story building was designed by Andres Luna San Pedro. In the early 1930's it was bought by the De Leon family from the Roxas family and a fourth floor commissioned from architect Fernando Ocampo. The building is one of Manila's architectural landmarks, and is an example of the Art Deco style. Together with the Perez-Samanillo which is right across the street, it establishes a strong presence on the Escolta.
It is here that for four months the seat of power was transferred. Once was the headquarters of President Sergio Osmea after he was sworn in by MacArthur. Today it houses historical records and a few dioramas depicting the islands history.
MANILA HOTEL
Architect: Willam Parsons Date Built: 1909 1912 Style: Early Modern/Neo-Classical 1898 Location: Manila Construction: 1909 - 1912 When the United States took over the Philippine Islands from the Spanish in 1898 after the Spanish-American War, President William McKinley began Americanizing the former Spanish colony. In 1900 he appointed Judge William Howard Taft 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 the hotel Taft hired William 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.
QUEZON BRIDGE
Architect: Gustave Alexander Eiffel Date Built: 1852 Style: Early Modern 1940-1950 Location: Pasig river, Quiapo-Ermita Manila City Construction: Once known as Puente de Colgante because it was once a suspension bridge connecting Ermita and Quiapo. During the 1930s, the suspension bridge was reconstructed and converted into a modern steel bridge. It was renamed Quezon Bridge, after Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines at that time. Historians dispute local traditions that say the bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (This is also asserted about thePunte de Ayala.) They note the original bridge has been documented as designed by a Basque. The 1930s work was a replacement of aged materials rather than a new design.(In addition, the 1930s work was performed a decade after Eiffel died in 1923.)
MABINI BRIDGE
Architect: unknown Date Built: unknown Style: Early Modern Location: Pasig river, Nagtahan Manila City Construction: Also known as Nagtahan bridge.
JONES BRIDGE
Architect: juan M. Arellano Date Built: 1945 Style: Neoclassical Location: Pasig river, Binondo Manila City Construction: After the floods of the September 1914 damaged Puente de Espaa, construction of a replacement bridge was started in 1916 by the American Colonial government, one block downriver from the original location. It was named as Jones Bridge after former Virginia Rep.William Atkinson Jones, who was the principal author of the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916. The Neoclassical design by Juan M. Arellano was an ornate concrete arch bridge. The entrances to the bridge were bordered by pillars topped with statues. The bridge was destroyed by the bombs of World War II. After the war, the bridge was reconstructed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and thenPhilippine Bureau of Public Works under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1945. Carrying the name of the bridge, the new span was a simple bridge with metal pole railings, bare in design. The design features from the old bridge that survived the war, were moved to other locations in Manila. One of the statues that was previously set on top of one of the pillar at the entrance to the bridge was moved to Rizal Park.