Nakpil’s Capitol Theater on Escolta to be demolished

NHCP, National Museum give clearance to yet another destruction of an important heritage landmark
By: Edgar Allan M. Sembrano - @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:00 AM September 11, 2017

Given the go-signal by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP) and National Museum (NM), another iconic and important structure in Manila is set to be
demolished to give way to a high-rise residential building.
Adding to the list of Manila’s built heritage-turned-intangible or altogether lost is the prewar art deco Capitol Theater on
Escolta Street in Binondo designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil.
NCCA Heritage Section head Charles Salazar told the Inquirer the property’s developer, Ascott Resources and
Development Corp. (ARDC), had made a presentation to the three national cultural agencies “for the in situ
methodology for the preservation of the tower and façade.”
The façade includes the bas-relief sculpture by renowned Italian expatriate sculptor Francesco Monti, the teacher of Tin
Pan Lay and Virginia Ty. Salazar said the sculpture would be preserved.
Based on the recommendations by the NCCA, NHCP and NM, much of the building will be torn down and the developer
was instructed to do a “perfect” replica of the façade, said Salazar.
ARDC was also directed to “prepare complete documentation of the entire existing building including as-built plans,
prepare casts of the relief sculptures of the tower for turnover to the National Museum, and install appropriate
hoarding/enclosure featuring the original façade” during demolition and the construction of the new structure.
Salazar made it clear the façade and tower would be saved and incorporated into the new structure.
Aside from Capitol Theater, other notable buildings designed by Nakpil include the Quezon Institute in Quezon City;
Avenue Hotel and Theater (demolished), Manila Jockey Club, and Philippine Trust Building in Manila; and the
reconstructed Rizal House in Calamba, Laguna.
Capitol Theater is going to be the latest heritage building in Manila repurposed using “façadism,” an approach in which
the façade of a historic structure is retained in the construction of a newer building.
Similar approach was applied in heritage buildings such as Luneta Hotel in Ermita; Laperal Apartments in Sampaloc; and
the old Coca-Cola building in Paco.
Approach denounced
Critics have denounced the approach, saying façadism affects the integrity, authenticity and historic fabric of a building.
“That remains to be seen, I hope it is true that the developer will keep the façade,” said former Tourism Secretary
Gemma Cruz-Araneta.
In the case of another Monti bas-relief sculpture, “The Furties,” on the façade of the old Meralco Building on San
Marcelino Street, Ermita, everything was destroyed.
Adamson University nearby made a replica of the famous sculpture and put it on the façade of one of the buildings on
campus.
Cruz-Araneta warned the demolition of the old building and construction of a new one would affect the integrity of
other heritage structures.
“However, as they dig and drive piles into the ground for the foundation of a new structure, the heritage buildings
beside Capitol will be adversely affected. Their foundations will be compromised. I think you should ask the owners of
those heritage buildings if this is happening,” she said.
“It would be tragic to lose all that,” she added.
Heritage zone
Heritage Conservation Society president Mark Evidente said Capitol was part of the “proposed Escolta Heritage Zone
that Manila has refused to implement.”
The proposed declaration is supported by the Escolta Commercial Association Inc. (ECAI), which has sought to revive the
historic commercial district by pushing for the preservation of its heritage buildings.
ECAI’s Lorraine Young-Sylianteng told the Inquirer her group was never consulted by cultural agencies.
She said the group had “not really discussed it and from what I know, it’s been gutted from the inside already.”
Advocates for Heritage Preservation head Tito Encarnacion said the lobby should be retained and not just the façade.
“I am not happy with the demolition, but the compromise would be retaining the façade, tower and lobby,” he added.
—CONTRIBUTED
SOURCE: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/273040/nakpils-capitol-theater-escolta-demolished/
 Vigan example shows heritage and development are compatible
By: Augusto F. Villalon - @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:30 AM March 27, 2017

What is ordinary for some is extraordinary for others. This is a story of how something ordinary was turned by its
community into something extraordinary.
For the resident community that lives its daily lives in any Philippine city, one sees the surroundings as ordinary stuff one
sees day in and day out.
Because of familiarity, many fail to see the elements—geography, nature, streets and plazas, architecture—that make
their city different, that make their city stand out, that make their city unique.
So it is no surprise that many Philippine cities are becoming more and more visually interchangeable: Downtown
Tagbilaran looks very much like downtown Dagupan, which, in turn, looks like some streets in Quezon City.
All cities are beginning to exhibit the same types of buildings, same level of visual pollution and urban congestion. In
many ways, no matter in which city one happens to be in at any time, they look and feel the same.
But why should that be? When a variety of urban environments still exist in the country, are all Philippine cities looking
at the same model for development without questioning its appropriateness for our climate, geography or lifestyle? Is
loss of urban uniqueness the price to pay for progress?
What would Vigan be without its Spanish colonial houses? asks professor Fernando Zialcita.
But then, Vigan is different: It is a city with many Spanish colonial houses and buildings that today it is considered the
center of Spanish colonial identity in the country.
Twenty-five years ago, the residents of Vigan sought to remove the ties to a dark past that they thought their old houses
represented. Clusters of shiny, modern skyscrapers lining their narrow streets were what they wanted: a big dose of
progress for a small town like Vigan.
UNESCO listing
It took years of convincing and, finally, a Unesco World Heritage Listing to make Bigueños realize their heritage was
unique not only in the Philippines but throughout the world.
So the community decided to keep its heritage structures instead of razing them. Now the city enjoys the reputation of
being not only the Spanish colonial heritage capital of the country but also one of its top tourism destinations.
What happened in Vigan is that, after the community realized their biggest asset was their heritage structures, they
partnered with the local government and crafted a heritage-based development plan so that both the community and
city could reap the benefits of heritage.
It was, in its time, a pioneering plan because heritage was the last thing anybody thought of as a resource for
development.
The development plan was simple: Distill the appropriate heritage conservation methods being practiced around the
world into local legislation applicable to Vigan conditions that ensured the conservation, and not disappearance, of its
special heritage. Next, find ways to use the conserved heritage to psychically and financially benefit the community and
local government.
Psychic, financial benefits
Psychic benefit? Almost immediately Vigan became known as the center for Spanish colonial heritage in the country.
The Vigan brand became so strong that anything from architecture to furniture and handicraft that remotely looked
Spanish colonial was generically called “Vigan.”
Financial benefit? Tourism emerged as the immediate answer. To launch tourism programs, the community prepared
various homespun offerings for tourists: opening up homes to guests as bed-and-breakfasts or small hotels, opening up
small restaurants specializing in Bigueño cuisine, turning local craft centers like loom weaving and terra cotta pot making
enterprises into tourist attractions, and holding events to make the community rediscover Vigan’s long and glorious
history within the Philippine context.
How to attract more people to come to Vigan? Festivals!
We all love fiestas. The early fiestas of the 1980s were public-private efforts in which the city supported the community
to jointly set up the festivities.
The organization was wobbly at first but improved over time so that the fiestas, now well organized, evolved into well-
attended events that are now considered a Vigan tradition.
A walk through Vigan today shows how far its heritage has revived the community. Ancestral homes, once empty, have
been converted into hotels, restaurants, shops or commercial establishments.
The indicators of development are all present in the city. Local branches of nationwide fast-food chains, stores, banks
and other establishments are found in the city center. The difference with other city centers is that these are housed
within converted heritage homes. All the markers of modern development are housed within a heritage envelope of
colonial structures.
The heritage of Vigan remains maintained. Legislation protects and restricts its adaptation to accommodate modern
development. And today, both the community and city government are enjoying the prosperity brought about by
respecting the heritage and individuality of a city.
So, who says heritage and development are not compatible?

SOURCE: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/258370/vigan-example-shows-heritage-development-compatible/