- Juan M. de Guzmán Arellano
Juan Marcos de Guzmán Arellano was a Filipino
architect , best known forManila 's Metropolitan Theater (1935), Executive House (1926) (now houses theNational Museum of the Philippines ), the Manila Post Office Building (1926), andJones Bridge .Life and works
.
Arellano went to the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1911 and subssequently transferred to Drexel to finish hisbachelor's degree in Architecture. He was trained in theBeaux Arts and subsequently went to work for George B. Post & Sons inNew York City , where he worked forFrederick Law Olmsted, Jr. ref|PauloHe then went back to the Philippines to begin a practice with his brother, Arcadio. He later joined the Bureau of Public Works just as the last American architects, George Fenhagen and Ralph H. Doane, were leaving. He and
Tomas Mapua were then named as supervising architects. In 1927, he took a study leave and went to the United States where he was greatly influenced byArt Deco architecture.In 1930, he returned to Manila and designed the Manila Metropolitan Theater, which was then considered controversially
moderne .ref|Paulo He also continued to act as a consulting architect for the Bureau of Public Works where he oversaw the production of the Manila's first zoning plan. In 1940, he and Harry Frost created a design forQuezon City , which was to become the newcapital of the Philippines.It was during that time that he also designed the building that would house the United States High Commission to the Philippines, later the
Embassy of the United States in Manila . He designed ademesne along the edge ofManila Bay , which featured a revival-style mansion that took advantage of the seaside vista.ref|Paulo The Americans instead opted for a federal-style building that ended up overpriced and uncomfortable.During
World War II , the Executive House and Jones Bridge, were totally destroyed and the Post Office Building was severely damaged. While these structures were all reconstructed, his original designs were not followed and were considered poor replications.ref|PauloArellano retired in 1956 and went back to painting. In 1960, he exhibited his work at the Manila
YMCA .References
# Alcazaren, Paulo (12 Nov 2005), "Juan M de Guzman Arellano : Renaissance Man", "The Philippine Star".
ee also
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Culture of the Philippines
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