Museum exhibit revisits American Colonial architectures

DAVAO CITY-  A traveling exhibit which features American colonial structures in Mindanao makes a pit stop in Davao City for a five-day exhibit  at the Museo Dabawenyo.

The exhibit titled American Colonial Architecture in Mindanao which opened today (August 18) and will run up to Friday (August 22) will show different architecture built during the American colonial era.

Michael Ang, former national executive vice-presendent of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) said that the exhibit would showcase about 16 structures in Mindanao.

“We always thought the American presence were only in Manila but in the early 1900s they already had a foothold in Mindanao.” Ang said.

And the proofs are the various structures build by the Americans across the region.

Ang said much of the older American colonial structures can be found in the north and western part of Mindanao  where the Americans first landed.

He said that in the early part, the Americans incorporated a pseudo-Spanish look into their buildings added with Filipino elements, the purpose of which was not to alienate the residents who have just been freed from the long Spanish rule.

The pseudo-Spanish look was taken from the architecture then prevailing in California which was once part of Mexico, a former Spanish colony.

Among these buildings include the Zamboanga City Hall and the Cagayan de Oro City Hall built in 1899.

As the years progressed the Americans began following renowned architect Daniel Burnham’s city beautiful movement which is characterized by grander buildings.  Among these buildings include the Provincial Capitols of Misamis Occidental built in 1935, the Bukidnon Provincial Capitol (1934) and the Davao City Hall (1935).

Much of the buildings were designed by three Filipino architects namely Tomas Mapua, Juan Arellano and Antonio Toledo who were sent to the United States by the colonial government for training. They designed the public buildings built during the area.

Ang laments that many of the buildings were lost thru neglect or lack of awareness.

He cites the old Davao Provincial Jail which was an American colonial building that was torn down to make way for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas building.

In Misamis Occidental, the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) alerted by a local architect helped preserve the Misamis Occidental Provincial Capitol when its expansion project would eventually destroy the heritage architecture.

Ang hopes the documentation of the old colonial structures would inspire people to preserve these architecture. Apart from old photos they also have architectural details which they hope would be made into a book.

The exhibit is organized by the Kutawato Arts Council in cooperation with the Unied Architects of the Philippines with the support of the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts and Museo Dabawenyo. (PIA/RG Alama)