There’s a debate brewing in the halls of social media. The group responsible for restoring the Manila Metropolitan Theater (MET) is asking the public to help them decide the color that they should they give our premier heritage theater. According to records, before its popular pink paint, the original color of the famous Art Deco building was off-white.
Read the post.
Inaugurated in 1931, the MET has been through a tumultuous history. Built with a facade resembling a stage that is framed by a proscenium-like central window of stained glass, it hosted performances like zarzuelas, bodabil (vaudeville) and operas in its early years. It survived the bombing of Manila in World War II only to suffer indignities such as being misused as a boxing arena, low-quality motel, gay bar, basketball court, and a home for informal settlers.
An effort to restore it to its old prestige came about in 1978 under the initiative of the Metro Manila Governor Imelda Marcos but it was short-lived. In 1996, the Manila City Administration came to blows with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) over ownership of the MET, resulting in the theater closing its doors again.
The light at the end of the tunnel came in 2015 when the GSIS transferred the right of ownership of the theater to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, paving the way for the restoration of the MET to begin.
The posts below are just about a few of the many discoveries made by the group doing the restoration.
We’re pretty excited about this project. A structure as beautiful and rich in history as the MET must not be allowed to fall into ruin. But before this restoration can proceed, a very important decision must be made.
Pink or white?
Share in the comments below.
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