NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

551 M.F. Jhocson St., Sampaloc, Manila

College of Architecture

PHILIPPINE ART DECO AND IDES O’ RACCA

DOCUMENTATION
Contents

Art Deco (1925-1940)…………………………………………………………………………….1

Art Deco in the Philippines (1930s – 1950s)..……………………………………………...…...4

Variations of Art Deco in the Philippines………………….…………………………………...7

IDES O’ Racca: Art Deco Components………………………………………………………...9

Architectural Plans of IDES O’ Racca……………………………………………..….………10

References………………………………………………………………………………..……...14

Submitted by:
Orata, Anthony R.
ARC226

Submitted to:
Ar. Patronilo A. Guzman
 ART DECO (1925-1940)

A r t D e c o w a s a s t y l i s t
Arts and Architecture that flourished in most
European countries and the United States from
around the 1920s and 1930s and ended before the
breakout of the Second World War. The movement
was first introduced after the 1925 Exposition
Internationale Des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels
Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern
Decorative and Industrial Arts) which was held in
Paris. From that exhibition, Art Deco promoted in
popularity mainly in Architecture and inspired many
aspects of Industrial Design, particularly jewelry,
fashion, furniture, and handicrafts. Art Deco
intended to create a sleek and anti-traditional
elegance that symbolized modernity, wealth, and
sophistication. Chrysler Building, New York City (Left); Bullocks Wilshire, Los
Angeles (Top-Right); Luhrs Tower, Arizona (Bottom-Right)

Brief Background and History

Art Deco was first used in Paris in the 1910s (before

World War I) before it was popularized in the 1920s. It
was Josef Hoffman (one of the Architects of the Vienna
Secession) who influenced the Art Deco style. Hoffman’s
Stoclet Palace, although in Art Nouveau style, was the
prototype of the Art Deco style, featuring geometric

Stoclet Palace by Josef Hoffman (1911)

volumes, symmetry, straight lines, concrete covered with
marble plaques, finely-sculpted ornament, and lavish
interiors. It became a model for the Compagnie des Arts Français, created in 1919 by André Mare and
Louis Süe, leading them to be the first French Art Deco Designers.

Later in 1922, the Art Deco Style gained its first public appearance in a design competition for the
Chicago Tribune Headquarters, when Finish architect, Eliel Saarinen submitted a design proposal,
which was eventually in the Art Deco style. However, his design was not chosen.

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The name “Art Deco” did not appear back then, until 1925, when it was first popularized in the
Exposition Internationale Des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of
Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts). It was
derived from the French word “Arts Décoratifs’’,
inspired by the Decorative arts that appeared in
Paris and Brussels before the 1910s. It was from
the Art Nouveau, where Art Deco derived since
Art Nouveau style originated first in France and
Belgium. A variety of styles also influenced the
style, such as the Bauhaus, Cubism, and Serge
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

Global Examples of Art Deco Architecture

AFRICA

St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rabat, Morocco Hotel Volubilis, Casablanca, Morocco

ASIA
 New India Assurance Building, Mumbai, India Broadway Mansions, Shanghai, China

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National Diet Building, Tokyo, Japan Kologdam Building, Bandung, Indonesia

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

 Century Building, Anzac Memorial, Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia

EUROPE

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, France Eden Teatro, Lisbon Portugal

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NORTH AMERICA

Vancouver City Hall, Canada Niagara Mohawk Building, New York

SOUTH AMERICA

Pacaembu Stadium, São Paulo, Brazil Torre do Castelo, São Paulo, Brazil

ART DECO IN THE PHILIPPINES (1930s – 1950s)

Brief Background and History

The so-called Second-Generation Filipino

architects such as Andres Luna de San Pedro,
Pablo Antonio, Juan Nakpil, Fernando Ocampo,
Juan Arellano, and Tomas Mapua were the
preeminent architects who introduced Art Deco in the
Filipino landscape and architecture. Like their past
predecessors, these Second-generation architects
were trained in the United States and Europe and
returned to the Philippines around the 1930s to
Metropolitan Manila Theater incorporate modern design strategies with
traditional motifs and introduce new architectural
forms through the translation of Art Deco in different buildings.

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 Filipino modernist architects
From L to R: Andres Luna de San Pedro, Pablo Antonio, Juan Nakpil, Juan Arellano, Fernando Ocampo

For Instance, Ocampo’s works were designed with straightforward simplicity, while combining
both traditional designs and Art Deco motifs, typical of the moderne style. Nakpil’s Art Deco
style was of combination of stylized flora and angular forms, and most of his works have
rounded corners, round columns, plain surfaces, minimal ornamentation, and continuous
horizontal walls and windows. Otherwise, Pablo Antonio broke away from the traditionalist and
institutional styles. He instead used bold, clean lines, straightforward surfaces, and spare and
rectangular masses.

The development of cinematography in the early 20th century globally led to the emergence of
new building types and architectural styles. Due to not only American influence but also the
spread of Western cultures, Filipino culture adopted the habit of entertainment through cinemas
and theaters. However, Filipinos first acquired cinema entertainment even from Spanish
colonialism. Because of this, conventional cinema houses were adopted as legitimate theater
designs. With the prevalence of cinematography in the Philippines, theaters and cinemas were
the most built during the time that Art Deco became an architectural trend.

Notable Examples of Art Deco in the Philippines

 Manila Metropolitan Theater, Ermita Gala-Rodriguez Ancestral House, Sariraya, Quezon
(Juan Arellano, 1931) (Juan Nakpil, 1935)

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 UST Central Seminary and Santisimo Rosario Parish FEU Nicanor Reyes Sr. Hall
(Fernando Ocampo, 1932) (Pablo Antonio, 1939)

Capitol Theatre, Escolta, Manila Teofilo Villonco Building

(Pablo Antonio, 1935; demolished in 2020) (also known as Life Theatre), Quiapo, Manila
(Pablo Antonio, 1941)

Perez-Samanillo Building (First United Building) White Cross Orphanage, San Juan City
Escolta, Manila (Pablo Antonio, 1936)
(Andres Luna de San Pedro, 1928

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 Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Malate, Manila
(Juan Arellano, 1934)

Old Jaro Municipal Hall, Jaro, Iloilo

(Juan Arellano, 1934)

VARIATIONS OF ART DECO IN THE PHILIPPINES

Eclectic and Classical Deco

This style of Art Deco is classified as the transitional version which appeared in the late 1920s.
In this phase, Filipino Art Deco is seen in a hybridized manner, combining historical styles
derived from Neoclassicism, Hispanic Revival, and Neorenaissance, and the elements of Art
Deco motifs. Hybrid Art Deco can be demonstrated in those residences constructed in the late
1920s. For instance, combined forms of Art Deco ornaments, chinoiserie, and European
elements were seen in these residences. Stripped Classicism, a 20th-century classist
architectural style that stripped off all forms of ornamentation, was also manifested in the
Classical Art Deco.

Structures built in the Eclectic and Classical Art Deco are the following:

 The Mapua Residence  Bulacan Provincial Capitol

 Santos Residence, Malolos, Bulacan  Tayabas Provincial Capitol
 Iloilo Municipal Hall  Quezon Provincial Capitol

Zigzag Moderne

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Zigzag Moderne flourished after the 1929 Great Depression in the United States, inclined
toward flashier, more opulent, luxurious, and generous decorative expressions, distinct from
any styles of Art Deco due to its lavish attention to detail and embellishment. This particular
phase of Art Deco was inspired by the contours formed by a “zigzag” or step pyramid.
Elements such as abstracted forms of flowers, plants, animals, humans, mythical figures,
and nature-inspired objects represented the Zigzag Moderne. One striking feature of Zigzag
Modern is the Pylon motif, which appeared in most commercial and institutional structures.

Examples of structures with characteristics of Zigzag Moderne are the following:

 First United Building, Escolta  Pylon of the Quezon Bridge in

 Geronimo Reyes Building Manila
 The Eucharistic Monument  Manila Metropolitan Theater
 The Capitol Theater, Escolta  ELPO Building
 UST Central Seminary  Jaro Municipal Hall

Streamlined Moderne

The later variation of Art Deco was inspired by the principle of streamlining. Streamlines are
defined by lines whose local direction is relative to the local flow speed. Common elements of
Streamline Moderne are semicircular bays attached to rectangles, rounded corners, flat
roofs, cantilevered ledges, extended parapets, and narrow horizontal bands. Building
materials such as Vitrolite, Formica, Lucrite, Carrara glass, porcelain enamel, metal alloys
(such as aluminum, chromium, and nickel), stucco, and plywood were used extensively. The
main characteristic of Streamlined Moderne is clean lines through thin concrete slab
protrusions with emphasis on the horizontality of the massing, sun breaks, or brise soleil over
windows. Maritime motifs, such as porthole windows and ship-tubular railings of thin,
horizontal strips of bands were also characters of this style.

Buildings that were styled in Streamline Moderne are the following:

 FEU Nicanor Reyes Sr. Hall  Crystal Arcade

 Rizal Memorial Stadium  Capitol Theater
 Jai-Alai Building  Ideal Theater
 Bel-Air Alhambra Apartments  Mayflower Apartment
 IDES O’ RACCA: ART DECO COMPONENTS

Based on the variations of Art Deco (see page 8),

8 observing from its façade, the IDES O’Racca utilized
the concept of Stripped Classicism, a characteristic of
Classical Deco. Stripped Classicism can be defined by
simplified columns and vertical pilasters between the windows, resembling a neoclassical
monument. These vertical pilasters are described through straight and smooth lines Moreover,
the building also embodies symmetry, as observed by the number of windows and pilasters.

Angular
and
Geometric
patterns can
also be
observed on
the façade, particularly between the spaces of the windows. On the uppermost part of the façade,
the low-relief sculpture of boomerang-like layered chevron patterns can be seen above the
windows. Zigzag patterns can also be seen on the rooftop of the building.

Below the windows of the uppermost level of the building, we can observe some semi-circular
bays attached with sunburst and floral patterns protruding downwards, an element that can
be derived from the later variations of Art Deco. There are also rectangular low-relief
structures inspired by the sun's rays, which can be seen below the second uppermost windows.
 ARCHITECTURAL PLANS OF IDES O’ RACCA BUILDING

Note: Unfortunately, the Save IDES O’Racca Building, a group advocating for IDES O’Racca
preservation does not have any copies of Elevations of the building, only floor plans. Some
sources require authorization approval for requests of the plans. (Floor Plans by Tolentino, 2022)

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Base Elevation Plans by Felipe, Estorco, Marcos, & Tan, (2023) from Adamson University in
their Design 7 project entitled “SULYAP: Revitalizing the Past in Time of Modernity, A
Proposed Adaptive Reuse of the IDES O’ Racca Building into a Commercial Hub”.

SOUTHEAST ELEVATION (Facing M. De Santos St.)

NORTHWEST ELEVATION (Facing Carmen Planas St.)

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REFERENCES

Art Deco Style 1925 - 1940 | PHMC > Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide. (n.d.).

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/art-

deco.html#:~:text=Art%20Deco%20buildings%20have%20a,edges%20or%20as%20s

Benton, C., Benton, T., & Wood, G. (2003). Art deco 1910-1939. (No Title)

Felipe, J. (2023, January 2). SULYAP: Revitalizing the Past in Time of Modernity, A Proposed

Adaptive Reuse of the IDES O’Racca Building into a Commercial Hub. Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/jheanredxx/posts/pfbid02csnfwqokMtZcLoksqLk6N7ppxfB9

UYNPq5LzxJqT84Fz61ZrAdNTf3Duc4MCfNmfl?locale=tl_PH

Lico, G. (2008). Arkitekturang Filipino: A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the

Philippines. UP Press.

Schenker, M. (2021, September 2). Art Deco Design: History and Inspiring Examples. Creative

Market Blog. https://creativemarket.com/blog/art-deco-design-style-examples.

Star, P. a. P. (n.d.). Landmarks of Filipino Art deco. Philstar Life.

https://philstarlife.com/geeky/677307-filipino-art-deco

Texier, S. (2012). Paris, panorama de l'architecture de l'antiquité à nos jours. (No Title).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, April 1). Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics,

History, artists, architecture, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco

Tolentino, N. (2022). IDES O’ Racca Floor Plans[Architectural Plans]. Retrieved from

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zpSb965q04mMz8Q4wlmmisAzzBZja_ko

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