Pablo Sebero Antonio, Sr. (January 25, 1901 – June 14, 1975)CCP Encyclopedia, p. 298 was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. A pioneer of modern

Philippine architecture The architecture of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Arkitekturang Pilipino'') reflects the historical and cultural traditions in the country. Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are influenced by Austronesian p ...

, he was recognized in some quarters as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time. The rank and title of

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an Order (distinction), order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipino people, Filipinos who have made s ...

was conferred on him by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ferdinand Marcos in 1976.

Early life

Antonio was born in

Binondo, Manila Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. I ...

in 1901. He was

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

ed by the age of 12, and had to work in the daytime in order to finish his high school education and work at night. He studied architecture at the

Mapua Institute of Technology Mapua, Māpua, or Mapúa may refer to: * Mapuá River, a river in the Pará state of north-central Brazil *Māpua, New Zealand, a small town on the South Island of New Zealand *Mapúa University, a tertiary institute in Manila, Philippines *Tomás M ...

but dropped out of school. Ramon Arevalo, the engineer in charge of the Legislative Building project, funded Antonio's education at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He completed a five-year architecture course in three years, graduating in 1927.

Works

Antonio first came into prominence in 1933 with the construction of the Ideal Theater along Avenida Rizal in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. His work caught the eye of the Far Eastern University founder, Dr. Nicanor B. Reyes, Sr., who was looking to build a school campus that was modern in style. Between 1938 and 1950, he designed several buildings on the university campus in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style. The FEU campus is considered as the largest ensemble of surviving Art Deco architecture in Manila. In 2005, it received an Honorable Mention citation from the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

for the body's 2005 Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. Antonio also designed the White Cross Orphanage (1938) along Santolan Road in San Juan City, and the Manila Polo Club (1950) in

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

. He likewise designed the Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman Institute of Electronics) in Soler Street in Manila, the Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building (1953), and the Boulevard-Alhambra (now called Bel-Air) Apartments Building in Roxas Boulevard & where Manila Bay Hostel is located on the 4th floor. The art deco apartment is near T. M. Kalaw Avenue & beside Miramar Hotel. It was built in 1937. Apart from the Ideal Theater, Antonio also designed several other theaters in Manila, including the Dalisay, Forum, Galaxy,

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

(1941), Lyric and Scala Theaters. As of 2014, only the Forum, Life and Scala Theaters remain standing; though the Forum and Scala Theaters have been gutted.

Appreciation

Antonio's architecture and its adoption of Art Deco techniques was radical for its day, neoclassicism being the dominant motif of Philippine architecture when he began his career. His style was noted for its simplicity and clean structural design. He was cited for taking Philippine architecture into a new direction, with "clean lines, plain surfaces, and bold rectangular masses." Antonio strove to make each building unique, avoiding obvious trademarks. Antonio was also conscious of adapting his buildings to the tropical climate of the Philippines. In order to highlight natural light and also avoid rain seepage, he utilized sunscreens, slanted windows and other devices. Antonio himself has been quoted as stating that "''buildings should be planned with austerity in mind and its stability forever as the aim of true architecture, that buildings must be progressive, simple in design but dignified, true to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should eternally recreate truth''" . When he was named

in 1976, he was only the second architect so honored, after his contemporary,

Juan Nakpil Juan Felipe de Jesús Nakpil, KGCR (born Juan Felipe Nakpil y de Jesús; May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986) known as Juan Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architec ...

. His eldest son, Architect Pablo Reyes Antonio Jr., restored some of his art deco buildings in the FEU campus.

Death

Pablo Antonio died on June 14, 1975 in

, Philippines.

References

* *

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio, Pablo National Artists of the Philippines People from Binondo 1901 births 1975 deaths Mapúa University alumni Art Deco architects 20th-century Filipino architects