ANDRES LUNA: OUTSTANDING ARCHITECT IN PREWAR MANILA
Luna introduced new architectural art forms in the Philippines like Art Noveau and Art Deco.
n 1918, Andres Luna de San Pedro graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Immediately, he was hired by the French government, obviously on sheer talent, having been vouched for by his professors.
Luna, Arquitecto author Saul Hofilena pointed out that he was not well connected in Paris. His talent thus spoke
for himself.
Prolific years
In 1920 he returned to the Philippines and thus began his most prolific years during which he created his iconic works. He started out as a city engineer in Manila and was initially assigned mundane projects, according to Hofillena, “until he was tasked to build what became a monument to his greatness — the Legarda Elementary School.”
Hofillena described the structure as “Victorian in style with a grand staircase, the school has a distinctive two- tiered fountain near its entrance. It reaped critucal acclaim during its time for being an ideal school, not only because of its aesthetic beauty but because of its functionality…He also made use of local materials and employed local artists like the master sculptor Isabelo Tampinco.”
Hofilena noted that “the school became his calling card to the rich who would want to have their houses designed by the son of the great painter Luna.”
What followed was a series of “mansions, residences, villas, bungalows, monuments and mausoleums. His works
were awarded a plethora of first and second prizes in competition. Most of the private residences were in the posh districts of Manila like Ermita, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and on Escolta Street, a substantial portion of which was owned by the Pardo de Taveras.”
New architectural forms
Luna introduced new architectural art forms in the Philippines like Art Noveau and Art Deco.
Spectacular to this day, according to author Hofilena, is the Perez-Samanillo Bldg which he “made (to) wrap around the street, incorporating an imposing tower at the corner facade, with a vertical string of street windows.”
Andres Luna’s Chaco Building had undulating balconies while the Insular Life Building had a corner tower.
When it came to the residences he designed, his style, according to Hofillena, “was totally eclectic, if not romantic, what with arches, balconies, winding staircases with superb grille work, towers and roof spires in series.” The result was a combination of medieval Italian, French and Alhambran influences.
Survivors of World War II
Despite the massive destruction brought about by the liberation bombing of various parts of the country, a few Luna-designed structures have survived, although they were used for varied purposes during the war.
The Legarda Elementary School, once the headquarters of the US 1st Cavalry Division and the 29th Evacuation Hospital for wounded American soldiers, remains intact.
The Lizares mansion in Iloilo, a lordly residence with colonades and arches, became a place of horror when the Japanese Imperial Army used its basement as a torture chamber.
The Alfonso Zobel mansion survived World War II but was later demolished to give way to a high-rise without any aesthetic significance.
Paciano Rizal’s chalet in Los Baños became a national shrine, where school children reenact events from his storied life on his birthday.
Two outstanding works of Andres Luna — the Natalio Enriquez and Emralino Rodriguez mansions in Sariaya, Quezon, remain standing in all its splendor, although threatened by the government’s infrastructure development program. That they have escaped destruction may well be a message from the past, reminding us of the magnificence and grandeur our gifted architects were capable of creating.
Saul Hofilena deserves our congratulations and thanksgiving for giving us a sweet and ample slice of our significant past in art and architecture. Andres Luna may not have attained as much fame as his father, Juan, but he had proved himself to be not only his worthy son, but as an artist who brought to Philippine shores a new way of appreciating architecture.