There’s something very significant about the Marinduque Capitol Building. This historical edifice could be next to be declared as another Important Cultural Property in our province by the National Museum of the Philippines.
The capitol building was built two decades after the
Americans arrived in 1898, engaged the Filipinos in battles during the second
phase of the Philippine revolution suffering a major defeat right in this island
province that sent shock waves in the US in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, Torrijos in 1900, and eventually
established a civil government.
Determined to impose its authority on the new colony, U.S.
government plans included establishing an American presence that was both
imperial and progressive in various places in the country. This was done through the erection of government buildings that resembled Greek or Roman architecture,
a new breed of architectural structures in the Philippines.
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| Another of Burnham's work. National Museum of Anthropology (Old Finance Building) |
A well-known architect and urban planner from Chicago,
Daniel Burnham, traveled to the Philippines in 1904, after he had won a
commission to develop a new city plan for Manila, the capital and to design a
completely new “summer capital” in Baguio City.
The popularity of Burnham’s style was due to its strong
associations with classical tradition and democracy. In time were erected such
buildings following Burnham’s design like the Manila Central Post Office, the
former Legislative Building (now the National Museum of Fine Arts), the Finance
Building (now National Museum of Anthropology) and the Agriculture and Commerce
Building (now the National Museum of Natural History). The last three are
located at or near the Rizal Park in Manila.
Provincial Capitol buildings with similar neo-classical architecture
are Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Cebu, Pangasinan, Bulacan and
Marinduque.
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| Old photo of Marinduque Capitol Building |
Out of the many capitol buildings two have exactly the same neo-classical design and dimensions. These are the capitol buildings of Negros Oriental in Dumaguete and Marinduque capitol in Boac.
To date, there’s not enough we know about the Marinduque
Capitol Building, except the two markers installed in the building façade and
on the middle of the wall inside. One marks its construction that states:
“Completed 1928; Dr. Damian Reyes, Governor; Gumersindo de
la Santa, Member; Luis C. Sevilla, Member; Enrique Claudio, Treasurer; Emilio
Buenaventura, Jr., Acting District Engineer; Yu Chong Tian, Contractor”
The second marker installed near the front door states: “
PHILIPPINE WAR DAMAGE COMMISSION – U.S.A. (Seal) - REBUILT WITH THE AID OF THE
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE PHILIPPINE REHABILITATION ACT
OF 1946.”
Online, there’s an important entry in Curtis Shepard’s
Ulongbeach.com website that featured cropped snapshots from an unspecified
publication with the following information:
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| Old photo showing the backside of the building |
“During the year the construction of a large number of
public buildings was undertaken in the provinces, the most important of which
are the following:
“Marinduque Capitol Building, Marinduque Province – This building
is similar to the Capitol Building of Negros Oriental, consisting of a
two-story concrete structure 31.0 by 18.0 meters, with four concrete columns in
front, which materially add to the appearance of the building. It provides
ample rooms for the different provincial offices. The construction of the
building was contracted by Mr. Yu Chong Tian of Manila at a cost of P. 95,239.
The electrical wiring was undertaken by administration. The total cost of the
building amounted to P. 104,973, including the cost of supervision and
provincial and insular surcharges.”
Our beloved Capitol Building has an identical twin
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| Identical twin. The Negros Oriental Capitol Building |
As it turns out, the Marinduque Capitol consisting
of two-storeys and measures 31.0 by 18.0 meters with the defining four concrete
columns in front has a twin, a virtual replica. So we have to search for the building identified as its twin - the Capitol
Building of Negros Oriental located in Dumaguete City.
The website of the Provincial Government of Negros Oriental is
a reliable source. It has an entry titled “Capitol Building” stating as follows:
“The Provincial Capitol in Dumaguete City was built in 1924
during the American colonization of the Philippines. The Provincial Capitol houses the Governor’s
Office and other provincial government offices.
Its architecture was patterned after the Capitol in the United States of
America. The main body is Grecian, while
the columns are Ionic.
“During this period
of American occupation the colonizers hired the services of city planner and
architect Daniel Hudson Burnham to design the new provincial capitol…
“The Grecian style dominated American architecture during
this period. It was the first truly
national style in the United States, found in all regions of the country. The popularity of the style was due to the
strong associations with classical tradition and democracy. It was very adaptable, and permeated all
levels of building, form high to low.
The Americans wanted to spread this type of style to its colonies. In Manila, similar buildings can be found
like the Post Office, Department of Tourism and the National Museum. Other Provincial Capitols with similar
architecture are Negros Occidental, Leyte and Cebu.
“The significance of this architecture is that it symbolizes
strength and fortitude in which the government should always uphold. The white paint is a symbol of purity that
should never be tarnished with scandal or war…” Source
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| Detail of the Negros Oriental Capitol Building in Dumaguete City. Courtesy: Dumaguete.com |
Juan G. Arellano?
It had earlier been bruited about, something that remained
unverified for long, that the well-known Filipino architect Juan Arellano (who designed the Metropolitan
Theater in Art Deco style, and the Manila Central Post Office together with
Tomas B. Mapua), purportedly designed the Marinduque Capitol Building.
No records on this matter could be found at the Capitol,
whose oldest documents in the possession of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan are
from the 1950’s and are crumbling. With this in mind this blogger scanned other
possible sources of information on Arellano, etc. for more light.
In brief, when the good American architect Burnham arrived in 1904, he recommended William Parsons who arrived in 1905, as consulting architect for the government. Parsons then organized the architectural office of the Bureau of Public Works that also employed American and Filipino architects including Tomas B. Mapua, Juan Nakpil and Juan G. Arellano.
In 1927, Arellano took a study leave and went to the United States where he was greatly influenced by Art Deco architecture returning to Manila in 1930 and designed the Bulacan Provincial Capitol.
The Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol (not Negros
Oriental, the twin) is associated with Arellano in that “using the
neo-classical architectural design of Burnham for the capitol, Juan Arellano
executed the project.”
American architect Daniel Hudson Burnham designed the Marinduque Capitol Building
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| U.S. Architect Daniel Burnham |
What about the Marinduque Capitol Building’s twin, the
Dumaguete (Negros Oriental) Capitol Bullding, did Arellano design or execute
it?
“The building was designed by then-city planner, architect
Daniel Hudson Burnham” according to “The Capitol Building of Dumaguete: A
Stately Landmark In The City” by Toni Miranda, 2017.
The official website of Negros Oriental also clearly states:
“During this period of American occupation the colonizers hired the services of
city planner and architect Daniel Hudson Burnham to design the new provincial
capitol.”
Without stating how the Negros Oriental capitol got attached
to Juan Arellano, a blog titled ‘You need to check out the heritage buildings
in Dumaguete’ by Johanna Michelle Lim, 2018, apparently underlines the same
doubt, stating:
“The unconventionally modish Arellano, who also designed
Manila’s Metropolitan Theater and National Museum of Fine Arts, was trained in
the Beaux Arts architectural style and shifted constantly from Neoclassical to
Gothic to Art Deco, despite the fact that many found his vision too costly. Heritage hunters still can’t trace how
exactly the celebrated architect and painter came to design Dumaguete’s City
Hall…”
The Negros Oriental capitol was built in 1924, the
Marinduque capitol building in 1927 (completed in 1928), born three years
apart. Our tangible cultural heritage, the only one of its kind in the MIMAROPA
region was built 7 years after Marinduque finally gained its independence as a separate
province in 1920.
It has undergone rehabilitation after the last war and due
to wear and tear, many repairs have been undertaken during our lifetime, but it’s still standing
proudly as another symbol of our island-province’s rich culture and heritage,
an important part of our celebration of Marinduque Centennial 2020, under the guided leadership of Gov. Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr.
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| Detail of the Marinduque Capitol Building |
