1. The Big Dome – When you think of original ‘60s landmarks you think of the Araneta Coliseum. No structure embodied the hubris of that era more than this 18,000-seater venue for entertainment, cockfighting, the Harlem Globetrotters and beauty pageants. The Aranetas built it to spur growth in that suburban crossroads. It has taken 40 years to fill out and today has been reincarnated into a transit-oriented development (TOD) that is the craze in western urban design. A new Gateway Mall has been built that connects Aurora Boulevard with EDSA.
2. The Filipinas Hotel – The hotel (architect unknown) was a landmark on Dewey Boulevard back when the only other well-known hotels in the area were the Bayview, Luneta and Manila Hotels. It is particularly interesting because its corner treatment reflects and pays homage to a pre-war deco building – the Jai Alai.
3. The National Press Club Building – The NPC building is a masterpiece by celebrated architect Angel Nakpil. Nakpil’s mentor and inspiration while studying in the United States was Walter Gropius. The influence of modern architecture and the Bauhaus School on Nakpil is evident in this structure whose most distinctive feature is the glass-encased stair tower. Although the structure went up in the mid-‘50s it influenced many Filipino architects up until the ‘60s. It stills stands, though much obscured, on its site by the Pasig River.
4. Picache Building, Plaza Miranda – This was Manila’s first real skyscraper. It is another iconic building by architect Angel Nakpil. It was one of the first to use sunshades made from aluminum. The structure proved that buildings in Manila could go past 10 storeys and many structures broke that barrier after the building was built. The building still towers over Plaza Miranda.
5. The Manila International Airport – Designed by Public Works head Federico Ilustre, the MIA was the first modern international airport in the Far East. It was a marvel at its time (early ‘60s) and had the first escalator in the country installed in its then spacious lobby. The building was done in the "international" style in architecture with overtones of Brazilia-era Neimeyeresque architecture – sweeping lines, cantilevered reinforced concrete and Jetson’s type embellishments. It was replaced by NAIA I, burned down in the late ‘80s and then replaced with NAIA II.
6. The Rizal Theater – My favorite building of the ’60s is this Ayala landmark. I saw the first Star Wars there and countless other Disney movies before that. Designed by Juan Nakpil, the theater was based on an un-built structure that was supposed to rise in the Luneta for Rizal’s birth centenary in 1961. That did not push through and instead Makati’s new commercial district benefited from this facility, which also was designed for music, theater and ballet. It was demolished to make way for the Shangri-La Hotel. On its ground floor was the famous Leila’s Café, which served the best arroz ala cubana in the world.
7. The Lacson Underpass – Mayor Lacson was the colorful character who resurrected Manila from post-war abyss. Plaza Miranda was a sordid mess of a place but the center of business, political and religious activity in ‘50s and ‘60s Manila. Traffic was a mess so the mayor thought of a radical idea of creating an underground plaza. He solved the problem of traffic, created retail spaces and an escape from the heat above. Inaugurated by his successor, the underpass sank into a decrepit state in the ’70s and ’80s. Mayor Atienza has since brought the facility back to its old glory making it a landmark of contemporary conservation. By the way, Singapore only created its first underground passageway and retail place 30 years after Manila.
8. Insular Life Building – The landmark office building of the ‘60s was the Insular Life building by Cesar Concio. The 12-storey corner edifice was an international style icon for 30 years. It anchored the prime crossroads of Paseo de Roxas and Ayala Avenues in Makati and also provided a long lasting venue for Repertory Philippines to stage its plays and musicals. A Billy Abueva mural embellished its façade while sculptural cantilevers shaded its entries. The building seemed doomed for demolition in the late ‘90s with the erection of a new Insular Life complex (Abueva’s relief was moved there a few years ago). But thankfully the owners decided to keep the building. It is one of the few remaining Filpino-designed skyscrapers on Ayala today.
9. The Quirino Grandstand – The last two landmarks in this list are from the early ‘60s – they both did not survive the decade having had parts removed. The first is the Ilustre-designed grandstand from the early ‘50s. The original structure had a large collonaded portal behind the main middle section. This was a controversial element because many believed the mass obstructed the view of the bay. As Luneta was being refurbished as the city’s central park in the ‘60s, that part of the structure was torn down, changing its look forever.
10. The Rizal Memorial – Built in 1912, this is the premier landmark of the
country. In the late 1950s as Rizal’s birth centennial was being planned, there were those who believed that the neo-classic monument needed a modernist update. Since a complex of international style buildings were being planned in the area, architect Juan Nakpil designed a tall aluminum shaft to add to the memorial’s original pylon so it would match the taller buildings being planned. It would also reflect, they hoped, a modernized Philippines, which was partly true because the Philippines then was second only to Japan in economic development. The shaft was taken down almost immediately after it was installed. For years it marked the boundary between Pasay and Manila. Our economy plummeted from the ’60s till the end of the century. Maybe the shaft should not have been taken down.
This makes a strong case for landmarks. We need iconic buildings and great monuments to celebrate the best in our culture, to valorize deeds of the deserving and the sacrifices of those who truly served the people. We also do not realize that what we need to conserve are not just old churches, capitols and bahay-na-bato but also more contemporary architecture from the post-war era. Given that fewer and fewer majestic buildings are the true product of Filipino creativity (many clients opt for foreign firms’ rehashed work), then it is all the more important to make sure that these well-designed and well-built structures are conserved for everyone’s appreciation and continued use.