History

The 1896 Philippine Revolution paved the way to the countrys independence from Spain. However, it
became a short-lived liberty when the Americans became the countrys new invaders. There was a
drastic change on the architectural design which was introduced by the Americans as they establish the
civil government. A lot of structures were built to serve as government buildings from cities to
municipalities. The design and style of the establishments were akin to Greek or Roman constructions.
Famous American architects such as William Parsons and Edgar Bourne started the proto-modernist way
of designing constructions and they were commonly unadorned facades together with large windows.
Another prestigious master designer during that time was American architect and urban planner Daniel
Burnham. He was the one responsible for creating the master plans for Manila and Baguio. His
contributions to the local architecture together with Parsons were the Kahn system of concrete
reinforcements and the introduction of hollow blocks, the use of anti-termite hardwood and the mass
fabrication of building types.
American architecture influence in the Philippines can be classified in two types; the so-called first
generation Filipino architects who studied architecture and engineering in the United States who were
sponsored by the colonial masters and the Second generation architects who emerged in the late 1920s
and 1930s.
The first generation exemplifies combined Beaux Arts elements with a touch of modernism promoting
the ideas of utility in architecture.

In 1902, Americans introduced the use of toilet via pail conservancy system, or cubeta in Manila.
In 1908, the concept of a wall-planned neighbourhood called Sanitary Barrio was introduced and
led to tsalet, a crossbreed of the tropical features of vernacular buildings with hygienic
structural principles and modern materials.
In 1992, The Bureau of Health endorsed several variations of tsalet.
American architects Edgar K. Bourne and William E. Parsons, steered Philippines Architecture to
the proto-modernist route. Their works were characterized by unembellished facades with large
windows.
Daniel H. Burnham, father of the City Beautiful Movement, was commissioned to design master
plans for manila and Baguio. Burnham endorsed the appointment of Beaux Arts-trained William
Parsons as Consulting Architect (1905-1914) whose contribution to local architecture include:
- the Kahn system of concrete reinforcements and concrete hollow blocks;
-the use of termite-resistive Philippine hardwood, and;
-the concept for the mass fabrication of standard building types.
In 1906, the construction of the Asylum for the Insane in San Lazaro instigated the use of
reinforced concrete as the standard construction material for all government structures.
Birth of first generation Filipino architects who were sponsored by colonial officials to study
architecture and engineering in the United States. Together with the maestros de obras like
Arcadia Arellano and Tomas Arguelles, they combined Beaux Arts elements-aesthetic
 proportions, optical corrections-with the influence of modernism and the concepts of utility and
honesty of architecture.
The second generation architects, namely, Andres Luna de San Pedro, Fernando Ocampo,
Pablo Antonio, Juan F. Nakpil, emerged in the late 1920s and 1930s and introduced the Art
Deco, characterized by exuberant exoticism and ornamentation, as evident in the following
facades of buildings: ELPO Building, Bautista-Nakpil Pylon, Metropolitan Theatre, Santos House,
and the Mapua House.

Beaux Arts

In French, the term beaux arts means fine arts or beautiful arts. Based on ideas taught at the
legendary cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the Beaux Arts style flourished between 1885 and 1920.

Historical and eclectic design on a monumental scale, as taught at the cole des Beaux Arts in Paris
in the 19th century.

The Beaux Arts style originated in the cole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Many American architects
studied at this legendary architectural school, where they learned about the aesthetic principles of
classical design and brought them to the United States. The Beaux-Arts style heavily influenced the
architecture of the United States in the period from 1880 to 1920. Non-French European architects
of the period 18601914 tended to gravitate toward their own national academic centers rather
than fixating on Paris.

In the United States, the Beaux Arts style led to planned neighborhoods with large, showy houses,
wide boulevards, and vast parks. Due to the size and grandiosity of the buildings, the Beaux Arts
style is most commonly used for public buildings like museums, railway stations, libraries, banks,
courthouses, and government buildings.

The popularity of the Beaux Arts style waned in the 1920's, and within 25 years the buildings were
considered ostentatious. Later in the 20th century, postmodernists rediscovered an appreciation of
the Beaux Arts ideals.

Beaux Arts buildings have many of these features:

Massive and grandiose

Constructed with stone
Balustrades
Balconies
Columns
Cornices
Pilasters
Triangular pediments
Lavish decorations: swags, medallions, flowers, and shields
Grand stairway
Large arches
Symmetrical faade
Art Deco
Is an influential visual arts design style that first appeared in France after World War I and began
flourishing internationally in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s before its popularity waned after World War II.
It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials.
The style is often characterized by rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation.

Deco emerged from the interwar period when rapid industrialisation was transforming culture. One of
its major attributes is an embrace of technology. This distinguishes Deco from
the organic motifs favoured by its predecessor Art Nouveau.

Historian Bevis Hillier defined Art Deco as "an assertively modern style [that] ran to symmetry rather
than asymmetry, and to the rectilinear rather than the curvilinear; it responded to the demands of the
machine and of new material [and] the requirements of mass production".

During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance and faith in social and
technological progress.

American Colonial Architecture

After the SpanishAmerican War in 1898, the Americans took control of
the Philippines until after the World War II. During this period, the
Americans constructed many Neoclassical buildings in Manila.
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 first civilian Governor-General of the
Philippines, decided that Manila, the capital, should be a planned city.
He hired as his architect and city planner Daniel Burnham, who had
built Union Station and the post office in Washington, D.C.. 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 would be the Manila Hotel Taft hired William E. Parsons,
a New York architect, who envisioned an impressive, but comfortable
hotel, along the lines of a grander California mission. The original design
Daniel Burnham
was an H-shaped plan that focused on well-ventilated rooms on two
wings, providing grand vistas of the harbor, the Luneta Park, and Intramuros. The top floor was a large
viewing deck that was used for various functions, including watching the United States 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 later designed by the Filipino
architect Juan M. 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 consists of a grand entrance and has three stories that
 housed the various function rooms and the hotel rooms. Together with its sister, the Elks Club, it was
the center of social life for many Americans for decades.
At T.M. Kalaw Street stands one of the remaining structures that survived the liberation of Manila in
1945, the Luneta Hotel, which was completed in 1918. According to 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 architecture in the Philippines to date.

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.
In 1940 the Manila Jai Alai Building was constructed along Taft Avenue, designed by architect Welton
Becket. It was built in the Philippine Art Deco style. In addition to hosting jai alai, it included the famous
"Sky Lounge". Unfortunately, demolition began on July 15, 2000 on the orders of Mayor Lito Atienza.
At the Far Eastern University (FEU) in Quiapo, Manila, five Art Deco structures on the campus were
designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio. Three were built before World War II and two, after.
Although FEU buildings were totally damaged during the war, the university was restored to its original
Art Deco design immediately after. The university was given a UNESCO Asia Pacific-Heritage Award for
Cultural Heritage in 2005 for the outstanding preservation of its Art Deco structures.

Art Deco theaters in the Philippines

Art Deco theaters of Manila are theaters constructed in the 1930s to 1950s built in Art Deco style, or a
similar branch of the style like Streamline Moderne, in the Philippines. The construction of these early
theaters in the City of Manila provided the venue for early forms of entertainment like bodabil, a local
adaptation of vaudeville, with most eventually converting to movie theaters with the growth and
popularity of Philippine cinema in the metropolis. Several theaters built within the city of Manila were
designed by prominent Philippine architects, including future National Artists Juan Nakpil and Pablo
Antonio. Unfortunately, some of these theaters have since been closed and several of them demolished.

The Silliman Hall of Silliman University, found The Central Philippine University Church in Iloilo Emilio Aguinaldo's house in Kawit, Cavite,
in Dumaguete City, is the oldest standing City is a fine and unique example renovations designed by Aguinaldo himself, the
American structure in the Philippines. of Malay design and motif with American first President of the Philippines
elements.
Characteristics of American Colonial Architecture
The American colonial period (1901-1945) and the subsequent contemporary period (1946-1993)
brought about the most extensive array of forms and styles despite being the shortest era in Philippine
architectural history. During the first civil government under William Howard Taft, Filipino architects
flourished beginning with Architect Arcadio Arellanos appointment as consultant. After World War II
and the declaration of Philippine independence in 1946, there was a building boom led by American-
educated Filipino architects who were inspired by the International style.

As the Americans central concern was bound by education, public health, and free enterprise, it
reflected on the new structures that emerged such as government centers, parks, schools, hospitals,
hotels, commercial office buildings, department stores, sports facilities, among others.

The use of reinforced concrete made possible the construction of high-rise buildings and visually
stunning structures. In 1960, Manilas building ordinance no. 4131 allowed buildings to reach up to 45
meters (or about 15 stories). By the 90s, building height had increased to more than 40 stories.

The Spanish style remained, though mostly for ornamental purposes of the affluent. Filipino architects
were largely influenced by Western culture, evident in their use of Neo-Classic, Art Deco, International,
and Romantic designs.

With large houses becoming more expensive, other residential options arose like apartments,
condominiums, tsalets, and bungalows. The lower classes had rowhouses, duplexes, multistory
tenements, and prefabricated housing units.
Sample Pictures