Luneta Hotel

If you are at the corners of T.M. Kalaw and Roxas Boulevard, and you see an old, abandoned (and now being renovated) building, that is the famous Luneta Hotel. I immediately recognized the hotel when I was on my way to the library. I became aware of its existence after browsing through a Heritage Watch forum. Now abandoned, one can wonder how it would have looked like in the 1920s.

In the old picture of hotel below one can even see that it faced an unfenced bermuda plane of the Luneta, and its neighbors are no more than blocks of humble bahay na bato and bodegas.

Old Luneta Hotel

According to Wikipedia, Luneta Hotel was completed in 1918. A study done by Dean Joseph Farnandez of the University of Santo Thomas revealed that the hotel was designed by the Spanish architect-engineer Salvador Farre. The six-storey hotel is the only remaining example of the French Renaissance architecture with Filipino stylized beaux arts in the Philippines to date. The burnt out building survived the Second World War but never recuperated from its war wounds. The Luneta has been renovated in 1972 but the hotel has continuously deteriorated since then.

In a 1998 article "Restoration, not demolition, says Luneta Hotel’s new owner", Inquirer columnist and HCS founding member Bambi Harper described the “whimsical gargoyles in the form of lions, crocodiles, griffins and other mythical creatures that serve as decorative supports of (the hotel’s) balconies.” She also talked about the “delicate filigreed railings (on the balconies) that add a touch of lightness to the solid concrete facade.”

Also in a Heritage Conservation Society article Luneta Hotel and the Beautiful Era, it mentioned that the hotel has been known to serve rich breakfast and lunch, exotic among foreigners of the time. It’s just interesting to note that the gargoyles that adorn the building are meant to keep the water away from the walls so it would maintain a pristine appearance. It isn’t just burloloy, it actually has function. Its walls would turn into gold when the sun strikes it at high noon and onwards.

Wouldn't these be good reasons for the hotel to be restored? By the way the Luneta Hotel (like the Museo Pambata) was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute.)

SOURCES:
Texts: Wikipedia entry of Architecture of the Philippines - American Architecture
Article Luneta Hotel and the Beautiful Era
Philippine Daily Inquirer Article Restoration, not demolition, says Luneta Hotel’s new owner

Images: Old Luneta Hotel from Luneta Hotel: Through the test of time
Luneta Hotel Now from TrekEarth Gallery