National Museum of Fine Arts, Philippines : Remnants of Order, Symmetry and Grandiosity | Beaux Arts Architecture
Featuring the National Museum of Fine Arts (formerly the Old Legislative Building; sometimes referred to as the Old Congress Building).
Remnants of order, symmetry and grandiosity that characterize Beaux Arts architecture as introduced in the Urban Plan of Manila by Daniel Burnham in 1905 are recognizable in the urban spaces and its neo-classical government buildings. Three of these buildings, the Legislative Building, the Department of Finance Building, and the Department of Agriculture and Commerce Building comprise the present National Museum of the Philippines Complex in Manila.
The American colonial period introduced a new material and building technology in reinforced concrete constructions that shaped and defined neo-classical buildings. Concrete was mainly used in both structural and decorative components of the buildings. Precast concrete was the most appropriate building technique especially for the repetitive ornamentations on both exterior and interior architectural surfaces of a neo-classical building.
One example is the monumental Legislative Building (the present National Museum of Fine Arts) along Padre Burgos Street. The building, designed by Ralph Harrington Doane, Antonio Mañalac Toledo and Juan M. Arellano, was constructed from 1918-1926. Doane, with the assistance of Toledo, designed the building originally as the National Library.
In preparing for the Philippines to be a Commonwealth in 1935, the US Colonial Government decided that the building become the Legislative Building, based on the revised plan by Arellano. The central façade incorporates the ornamentation and sculptural work. The ornamentation and sculptural group of work at the top of the building were attributed to Otto Fischer-Credo, Walter Strauss, Vidal Tampinco and Ramon Martinez.
In February 1945 the Japanese forces used the building and its premises as their stronghold and modified it with their defensive installations. Obstacles, roadblocks, trenches, pillboxes and barbed wires surrounded the building. Guns and other heavy machine guns were strategically installed on the building floors. For several days until February 27 the American forces bombarded the building with artillery fire. The building’s north and south wings were heavily damaged. The building was rebuilt in 1949 as part of the post-war rehabilitation program through the US-Philippine War Damage Commission.
The post-war building interventions maintained the original building footprint and four-story height but with less ornate façade articulation. Contemporary additions were introduced as spatial requirements of the government offices until 1998 when the building became a dedicated museum building as it is now, part of the present National Museum Complex.
The four-story building has a rectangular plan and layout oriented with its line of symmetry in an east-west axis, longitude in a north-south axis, and its main entrances on the east and the west. The building’s central core spaces are flanked by courtyards on the north and south. The associated rooms are organized around these courtyards with single volume hallways east and west, and double volume hallways north and south. Staircases are at both ends of the entrance halls, and the four corners of the building.
The columned portico at the second floor signals the west entrance accessed through the flights of stairs and the carriageway ramp coming from the ground level along Padre Burgos Street. The west portico has four Corinthian columns rising the full height of the building.
The façades are articulated with giant Corinthian columns and pilasters rising from the second floor level to the height of two-storys of the building, with the first story resembling the one-story high plinth where these columns and pilasters rest. Decorative entablatures lie above the columns and pilasters surrounding the entire wall.
The projecting central bay features a group of four columns, with corbeled balconies on the third level. The corner bays feature another group of four columns with similar Corinthian capitals. Fenestrations feature rectangular windows decorated with grillwork.
Both east and west façades are identical except for the west central bay with the columned portico. Surmounting the central part of the building are identical east and west pediments with relief sculptures. The temple pediment with relief sculptures on its tympanum emphasizes grandeur and nationalism, ennobling the edifice. A splendid view of Intramuros and Luneta can be enjoyed from the west and south of the building respectively.
The building’s east façade (facing Taft Avenue) is identical with the west façade except for the central bay. An arched porte-cochere protects the east entrance at the ground level approached by way of the east driveway from the present east open space (formerly a southward radial road with Agrifina Circle as its terminus).
As the present National Museum of Fine Arts, new additions north and south of the building footprint serve as the museum building’s administrative offices, and public spaces. Sculptures accentuates the building’s grounds and open spaces. The open spaces east of the building serve as a visual corridor where one can enjoy the perspectives of the surrounding urban spaces and the other neoclassical building across the road, the present National Museum of Anthropology (former Department of Finance Building).
Walking around the architecture of our National Museum buildings is a walk through the remnants of order, symmetry and grandiosity that characterize Beaux Arts architecture, a Philippine built tradition introduced during the American period that shaped neoclassical architecture among our national architectural landmarks.
We are planning an especially crafted walking tour around our museum buildings in our flagship complex in Manila. Once we are authorized to open, we would like to take you around these historical structures and public art.
Text by Archt. Arnulfo Dado and photo by Eric Estonato | NMP AABHD
© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)
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