AMERICAN COLONIZATION & ITS INFLUENCES

TO THE PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE

AMERICAN COLONIZATION & ITS INFLUENCES TO THE PHILIPPINE

ARCHITECTURE

American Colonization (1898–1946)

• Started when Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in 1898 and continued until 1946,
when the United States recognized the independence of the Philippines.
• The introduction of English as the national language
• Reformed education system
• Ports, railroads, and roads were to be created; the war had destroyed settlements, which were
rebuilt.
• "National development" process was the introduction of Western architectural and urban planning
forms.
• America's civil government contributed to the nation by building government structures up to the
municipal level, respectfully designed with Greek or Roman architecture.

American Modernization and City Planning Mission

Many social and environmental issues were immediately acknowledged by Americans. These included the
dearth of a national education system, widespread poverty, contaminated rivers, and poor housing.
Similarly, the Americans considered the cultural state of the native populace to be a serious concern.
People had the impression that Filipinos lacked moral integrity and reliability. Additionally, it was
observed that they lacked a sense of nationalism and instead possessed an identity derived from the
diverse collection of various ethnic groups to which individuals exhibited loyalty.

America sought to improve the Philippines' environment and erect a new political structure. President
McKinley established the Philippine Commission in 1899 after realizing the significance of cities in
bringing American civilization to other regions. Urban areas were thought to be the birthplace of civic
virtues and the cornerstone of civilization. Urban development was viewed as essential to effectively
managing the Philippines because it would help shape Philippine society after American ideals, resolve
problems that impeded advancement, and provide housing of high quality, education, and civil and
religious freedoms.
 During the early 1900s, the United States of America aimed at
establishing the Philippines as a leading in international civilization. Their
goals were to establish new living and working environments as well as a
new form of government. Given that the war had destroyed a large
number of buildings and districts, environmental improvement was
imperative. The visionary of urban planning from Chicago, Daniel
Burnham, traveled to Southeast Asia in 1904 to design two city plans for
the northern Luzon Island settlements of Manila and Baguio.

Burnham created urban plans in the Philippines with the intention of

removing problems and creating a path towards social, economic, and
cultural advancement. In addition, he sought to enhance the aesthetic
appeal of cities, a goal shared by many in American urban planning during
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Daniel Burnham’s

City Plan

for Manila

Daniel Burnham’s
City Plan of Baguio
City
Architectural Styles that Flourished during the American Colonization (1898–1946)

• American Period (Various Typologies)

o Italianate
o Victorian
o Mission Revival
o Neoclassic
o Neo-Gothic
o Neo-Renaissance
o Art Deco
o Streamlined Deco
o Bauhaus

➢ Italianate
A design movement that began in Western Europe between 1840 and 1885 and revived aspects
of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture.

Notable Characteristics of Italianate are:

▪ Square towers or cupolas
▪ Ornate classical accents
▪ Broad overhanging eaves with ornamental brackets spaced closely apart;
▪ Tall, narrow windows with arches or square shapes
▪ L-shaped layouts
▪ Balustraded, arcaded porches
▪ A flat or low-pitched roof

Example of Italianate Structures

VILLA LIZAREZ OF ILOILO CITY MALACANANG PALACE, MANILA CITY

 ➢ Victorian

An aesthetic that emerged in Europe during Queen Victoria's rule in Great Britain (1837–
1901) and combined elements of Italianate and Gothic styles, such as:

▪ Roof with steep gables and dormers

▪ Square tower with mansard roof or turrets in the shape of a cone
▪ Elaborately or lavishly decorated braces, trusses, and paneling
▪ Exterior walling composed of panels with a diagonal, vertical, or horizontal pattern
▪ And broad overhanging eaves that reveal the ends of the rafters

Example of Victorian Structure

Silliman University, Dumaguete City

➢ Mission Revival
A movement in architecture that started in the US at the close of the 1800s and revived or used
Spanish Colonial Revival style elements. This was extensively utilized in California and was
distinguished by:

▪ Employing a low-sloped roof

▪ External walls finished with stucco
▪ Broad eaves with exposed rafter end that are closely spaced
▪ Frontispiece featuring a gable wall exposed
▪ Square towers with pyramidal roofs are imposed