The UPV Main Building, Iloilo City Campus
(formerly the Iloilo City Hall)
The UPV Visayas, Iloilo City campus building
In 1929, Sra. Juliana Melliza donated a portion of her property in Molo, Iloilo to be used as the site of the future city hall of Iloilo. This was located about two kilometers from the original heart of the municipality of Iloilo which was near San Jose church and Plaza Libertad. With this intended site for Iloilo's City Hall, Juan Arellano (then supervising Architect of the Bureau of Public Works) designed a grand building along with a new urban plan for this burgeoning provincial center.
It should be recalled that although a municipality, Iloilo was enjoying economic prosperity with a bustling port and trading business. This resulted in the creation of a distinct downtown area or central business district with its neo-classic and art-deco influenced two-storey buildings. The municipality was definitely on the rise and its elevation to a city was expected to happen. Crescenciano M. Lozano, an assemblyman from Guimaras, initiated bill 2368 making Iloilo a chartered city.
From December 19-30, 1936, the City Hall Building or the Presidencia designed by Juan Arellano was inaugurated amid much fanfare and celebration. Though the Charter was to officially take effect on July 16, 1937, the Bill was already unanimously approved at the National Assembly in October 1936. Thus, it was a double celebration in the Christmas of 1936: the inauguration of its House of the People and the elevation of the municipality of Iloilo into a city.
LAW & ORDER, the allegorical sculptures
done by the Italian artist, Francesco
Monti, a close friend of Juan Arellano
In 1932, Juan Arellano, in his capacity as Consulting Architect of the Bureau of Design of the Department of Public Works, designed a City Hall for Iloilo, the municipality. His original plan, drawn in January 1933 showed a very formal, one-level structure with a neat row of arched windows. The main entrance dividing the horizontal plane in two equal parts echoes the arches of the windows and is flanked on either side by austere-looking Composite pilasters. Three months later, Juan Arellano modified this plan for Iloilo City Hall. He retained the basic form and design but capped it with an interesting cupola. He made the façade more interesting by having Francesco Monti's two seated male statues on either side of the entrance and the bas-relief of four figures above the arched opening.
Construction of the city hall began in December of 1933. The work was awarded to Mr. Andres Bolinas, a contractor from Albay. In two and a half years, the building was finished for in June 1936, the Visayan newspaper, Makinaugalingon reported about the painting of its façade costing P1,244.00.
This sprawling single-story building brings together neo-classic elements (like the uniformly arched windows, patios, stylized composite columns, high ceilings and a dome) as well as familiar features from the bahay na bato (like the wide sliding main windows, the ventanillas, and raised wooden floors) most suited to the tropical climate of the country. For decoration, one sees a strong influence of art deco in the stylized sculptures at the entrance as well as the metal ornaments in the interiors.