One
of central Manila’s unappreciated architectural heritage landmarks, the
structure on Avenida Rizal, which once was among the city’s grandest
avenues, has fallen on hard times.
Reports say the Avenue Theater property will be converted into a parking lot.
National
Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil designed the building in the 1930s,
renovating it in the 1950s. Nakpil, son of composer and Katipunero
Julio Nakpil and Gregoria de Jesus, widow of the Katipunan Supremo
Andres Bonifacio, studied architecture at University of Kansas,
followed by courses at Fontainebleu School of Arts in France, and
finally at Harvard Graduate School for Architecture.
Nakpil is
acknowledged as among the pioneers and early innovators in Philippine
architecture. Among his surviving works today are the SSS Building,
Quezon Institute and the University of the Philippines Administration
and Library buildings in Quezon City.
A prolific architect, he
designed most of the mansions that gave Vito Cruz Street its air of
elegance, all demolished except for the surviving residence of the
descendants of Gen. Vicente Lim.
Avenue Theater was designed in
the Art Deco style that swept through the world during the ’30s. This
was the time when the invention of machines brought industrialization
and prosperity to many world economies including the Philippines,
establishing an epoch of growth and stability called Peace Time by an
older generation that today has practically died out.
Conservationists
are making noises about “Saving the Avenue Theater,” but outside of
that circle, few are aware that it should be saved, much less why.
Hardly
anyone knows of the Avenue’s significance as an example of outstanding
1930s architecture, that the theater has played a strong role in many
generations of Manila’s movie-going life, or that if the structure had
been reused for another commercial purpose (maybe for a combination of
offices, boutiques, shops, or even as a building containing rehearsal
or painting studios for artists), it could have been the innovative
out-of-the-box thinking to spark much-needed heritage revitalization on
today’s Avenida Rizal.
No legal protection
Avenue’s
pedigree or that of other notable heritage buildings’ has not been
officially established. Therefore government authorities, general
public and owners of heritage buildings find difficulty in
understanding why such buildings must not be demolished and why their
existence contributes to the quality of contemporary Philippine life.
Structures
with historical associations, such as heroes’ birthplaces and homes,
battlefields and memorial grounds, are protected against demolition by
national legislation and are regulated by the National Historical
institute. It makes sense to conserve places associated with history,
but what about other types of heritage places?
At present,
nothing on paper lawfully protects heritage buildings and neighborhoods
of artistic, architectural or social significance, such as the Avenue
Theater or the heritage neighborhoods in towns like Carcar, Cebu.
These
places may not be historical or monumental, but they are examples of
Philippine architectural excellence. They are the envelopes where
generations of Filipinos have lived out their private histories. Many
of these are everyday places whose worth goes unappreciated.
Since
there exists no legal basis in the Philippines explicitly setting the
rationale and method for keeping such structures alive,
“conservationists can only grit their teeth and clench their fists at
the ongoing demolition of the once-famous Avenue Theater, a work of
National Artist Juan Nakpil,” wrote reporter Jerome Aning in a recent
Inquirer story.
Conservationists have been clenching their fists
a lot in the past years. Hotly contested issues—Jai Alai, Mehan Garden,
Arroceros Forest Park—pushed conservationists and government
authorities into opposing corners that left no space for dialogue.
Be heritage-constructive
It
is now time to be constructive about heritage, for establishing
dialogue, for arriving at innovative solutions to show that heritage
and progress go hand in hand.
The shift is happening. The
Heritage Schoolhouse Program of the Department of Education restores
decayed or abandoned heritage schoolhouses to provide much-needed
additional classrooms.
Realizing that heritage structures are
underutilized resources, the mayors of Silay and Escalante in Negros
Occidental commissioned conservation planners to plan reuse schemes for
old buildings and heritage plazas in their cities.
More than a
few public and private owners of heritage buildings are now realizing
that old buildings are not white elephants, that they remain to be
productive for today’s lifestyle requirements, that they do not need to
be fitted out as museums but can serve the community by being
schoolhouses, offices or shops.
The question is no longer whether
heritage buildings stand in the way of progress and development. The
question has become “What can be done with a heritage building?”
With
the reality of poor awareness of heritage value, and considering the
absence of legislation that clearly and sensitively protects groups of
structures within designated heritage districts, our unprotected
heritage structures vanish one by one with very little that can be done
to protect them.
Since no consolidated list of declared
Philippine structures and sites is available on the Internet and no
attempt to make one available exists, Ivan Henares who sits on the
Board of the Heritage Conservation Society, is starting such a list.
Visit
http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/2005/04/index-of-declared-structures-and-sites.html,
click on “Post a Comment” at the bottom of the page, add buildings and
places that you think should be preserved, or make corrections on what
is existing on the list. This might be the start of a basis for
defining what are heritage structures and places in the Philippines.
Heritage watch
A
picture taken two weeks ago in Bagac, Bataan, shows total disrespect
that may be caused by the ignorance of this generation for our
heritage, historical markers and their significance. The marker keeps
the memory alive of those who bravely endured hardship or even death
during World War II because they believed in Philippine freedom.
The
Filipino-American Memorial Endowment Inc. (FAME) works hard to preserve
the tangible reminders of World War II. It generates funds to maintain
the physical appearance of World War II monuments as an avenue for
developing a better understanding among the youths who have had no
experience or knowledge that a shared Filipino-American heritage exists.
FAME
works hard to get support for these memorials, spending additional
hard-earned funds yearly for repainting and refurbishment after
monuments are defaced with rude graffiti, campaign posters, and having
messages of dedication scratched off by vandals.
If you wish to
help to increase awareness of the significance of the markers and to
prevent them from being vandalized, contact the FAME Secretariat at the
American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines at 8187911, fax
8113981, e-mail leslie@amchamphilippines.com
E-mail the author at pride.place@gmail.com
