Great news for conservation advocates: the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex has been declared a national historical landmark!
The news was announced by the National Committee on Monuments and Sites on Facebook, revealing that it was approved by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on March 27, 2017. The news was announced on Monday.
In the Facebook post, the resolution detailed that the Art Deco style of architecture, designed by Juan Arellano of the Bureau of Public Works, is an “important cultural property.” The resolution went on to mention the buildings’ curving walls, double band of mouldings, and beveled corners with nail head ornaments.
The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is a national sports complex in Manila, built in 1934 as the venue of the Asian Games, then known as the Far Eastern Championship Games. It was destroyed in World War II, and was rebuilt in 1954 for the Asian Games. Up until now, the complex is still used as a quarters for Philippine national team athletes.
Last November, the Manila City Hall announced that it would demolish the complex for a shopping mall. Immediately, a group of heritage advocates filed a petition to change City Hall’s decision.
It looks like their voices were heard!
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