Juan nakpil autobiography of a facebook

By Arch. Francisco Nakpil and Karen Nakpil Tañada in commemoration of the th anniversary of Arch. Juan Nakpil&#;s birth.

A Legacy of Architecture

In March , there was a flurry of protest, mainly by conservationists, journalists and bloggers, upon the impending demolition of the Avenue Theatre to make way for a parking lot. The building’s end happened quickly, leaving them to mourn another loss of heritage, the work of a National Artist, Juan F. Nakpil.

The Avenue theatre was described as “a grand Art Deco structure that provided entertainment to generations of Manilans… a landmark building that helped define Manila’s downtown – Avenida Rizal… Nakpil had designed it as a cutting-edge cinema before the war and he renovated it after the war to cater to new technologies of air-conditioning, Technicolor, and wide screens.” (Villalon, PDI)

Many of the agitated bloggers were not old enough to have watched movies at the Avenue, but knew the value of the few surviving pre-war structures to our cityscape and culture. Other online writers were more familiar with another lost Nakpil structure, the Rizal Theater in Makati which was the iconic setting for memories of the ’s to ’s. This outstanding structure featured not only movies but live performances seeking Nakpil’s care for acoustics in design.

And how would generations recall the University of the Philippines, without seeing the sweep of the Administration Building behind the Oblation statue, or the Carillon Tower of silent bells? Fortunately these and many of Nakpil’s buildings still stand while others remain in the mind’s eye, part of remembered history of place.

Revolution and Art in the Family

Juan Felipe Nakpil was born on May 26, , the eldest child of Julio Nakpil and Gregoria De Jesus. Julio Nakpil was a musician and composer who fought in the Philippine Revolution against Spain and had been designated by Andres Bonifacio as secretary of the command in the north of Manila. He later married Bonifacio’s w

Juan Felipe Nakpil is famous of his major works: the Geronimo de los Reyes Building,Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village Hotel,University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, the reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, also designed the International Eucharistic Congress altar and improved the Quiapo Church in by erecting a dome and a second belfry.

I don’t know how stupid I am that I never knew Juan Nakpil in my entire life until now. I think I never even heard his name and I don’t even know that his architect. This discussion is about does he deserve to become a National Artist despite the fact that he’s just imitating some other’s building? Well, let’s observe more profound. Let’s start contemplating his biography.

Juan Felipe Nakpil was born on May 26, , the eldest child of Julio Nakpil and Gregoria De Jesus. Julio Nakpil was a musician and composer who fought in the Philippine Revolution against Spain and had been designated by Andres Bonifacio as secretary of the command in the north of Manila. He later married Bonifacio’s widow, Gregoria, who was also a courageous leader of the Katipunan.

While he also trained to play the piano, Juan’s inclination to the visual arts must have been boosted when as a child in , he won the silver medal in a Rizal Day drawing competition. He further trained in freehand drawing with Fabian de la Rosa and Fernando Amorsolo, then already distinguished artists, and would have been inspired by his aunt Petrona Nakpil-Bautista, who excelled in painting. The Nakpil family was also known for the Plateria Nakpil, where fine jewelry was designed and crafted.

Beyond Borders in Architecture

When Juan Nakpil was on the second year of his course in civil engineering at the University of the Philippines, he took the bold decision to go the United States for his studies de