Landmark by the Green
e continue this week wi t h our feature on the Army and Navy Club, a heritage landmark fronting Burnham Green. This piece covers the last six decades of the structure’s century of existence, as well as its future in historic Manila’s landscape.
Manila, despite the huge damage from the war, was still the center of business and society in the post-war decade. In 1953, the Manila International Fair was held at the Luneta, a stone’s throw from the ANC.
By the mid-1950s the makeup of the ANC’s membership had shifted from military to civilian. The events and activities of the club also moved to provide for more family-oriented offerings. The Manila Theater Guild staged repertory plays and musicals in there. International membership rose, as many embassies were still located in the area (they eventually transferred to Makati in the 1970s).
The embassies were actually supposed to transfer to Quezon City, which was the newly designated capital of the Philippines. The whole compliment of national government offices was to have been relocated to Diliman. Unfortunately the government lacked the financial wherewithal to make this happen.
This failure of government led to the success of alternative sites for business, commerce and residential expansion. Ayala’s Makati offered the first alternatives, followed by the Ortigas developments on both sides of EDSA.
This flight of Manila’s moneyed residents to the suburbs along with the establishment of competing social clubs, led to some loss of the ANC’s membership. This was offset by international membership, mainly from multi-national officials who worked for the WHO, the ADB and other world agencies who still had their main offices in Manila.
The swinging ’60s saw the ANC turn completely into a family club, with the swimming pool, tennis courts and dining outlets rehabilitated to cater to this market. The ANC’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, its Spring Festival and fashion shows were key events on Manila’s social calendar.
In 1963 Mayor Antonio Villegas attempted to take back the site ( which the city had sold to the club) for conversion into the University of Manila complex. He even tried to include the Elk’s and American Embassy grounds in his takeover attempt. The original terms of sale in 1918 gave the city the right to repurchase the property after 50 years (1968). According to historian Gleeck, this was contested, and the case went up to the Supreme Court, which ruled “the rights of all the parties should be redefined at a later date.”
By the mid-1960s, the Elk’s Club transferred to Makati. The ANC then stood by itself in the area. The 1960s also saw the club’s last hurrah as an American landmark visited by dignitaries from the mainland. These were mainly commanders of the 7th Fleet, Air Force wings and other Asian stations. The exception was aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, who visited in 1969.
The Filipinization of the club progressed steadily in the ’60s, from 17 percent to over 40 percent by 1969. The declaration of martial law in the country brought another momentous change in the complexion of the ANC. The club’s regular membership was opened to officers of the Philippine Armed Forces. By the 1975 most of the members were Filipino, and the first Filipino president, Colonel Eustaquio Miem, of the Philippine Constabulary,
Wtook the helm.
The decade until the People Power Revolution was the ANC’s last as club facility. After the revolution, the city finally got the property back. The deteriorating complex was used for various offices including the City Architect’s department. The rest was used for storage.
In the late 1990s, the facility was converted into the Museo ng Maynila. A study for its conservation and full adaptive reuse was undertaken with an Australian agency. In the new millennium, changes in administration and continuing deterioration of the complex saw concrete floor sections fall off, reinforcing bars exposed to the effects of salt water, and wood rot.
A decade ago proposals were made to Manila City Hall for the renovation of the property as a hotel. An agreement was sealed with Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corporation, whose chairman Simon L. Paz, drew a vision for the adaptive reuse of the property that would conserve the landmark, as he remembered it growing up in Manila.
Paz reports that they put together a consulting team of experts to flesh out this vision with an emphasis on conservation. The greatest challenge was to retain the structure without resorting to demolition. The structure sat on soft ground and the decades had taken its toll.
AMH Philippines, led by leading Filipino structural engineer Dr. Salvador Reyes prepared the structural assessment and retrofitting strategy based on a thorough geohazard report and full surveys. They were able to retain the structure true to its original floor plate including its noted polygonal interior lobby.
The whole exercise ended up costing more, Oceanville officials explained, than if they had demolished and built anew, but that was not their intent, emphasizing the importance of the heritage structure. Oceanville also sought and garnered the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ views and approval of the proposed project.
I recently went to visit the site with a group from the Heritage Conservation Society. We were shown the progress on the interior and exterior conservation, along with the adaptive reuse to provide 74 luxurious rooms for the planned hotel. I was impressed with the historic main lobby and the efforts made to bring it back to its former glory. The wrought iron railing is being replicated as close to its historic look by artisans from the Escuela Taller de Filipinas.
The project’s construction manager DA Abcede has confirmed that the target opening is October this year. The Army and Navy original imposing mien is once again emerging to help define the expansive Burnham Green in front. Its façade appears very close to the original as drawn by William E Parsons. Modern adaptation for low e-glazing for the windows along with energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning appear well integrated to give the facility all the amenities required of a five-star hotel.
The Army and Navy Club, as a landmark, has been conserved. It has not disappeared unlike many other architectural heritage structures of Manila. The city’s historic core in and around the Rizal Park, Intramuros and Roxas Boulevard has also improved but needs continuing support and maintenance. More conservation and adaptive reuse of all landmarks like the ANC, around the city’s central green, would ensure the district and Manila itself recovers its title of Pearl of the Orient. Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo. alcazaren@gmail.com.