Layers of Ilonggo Reality

Romantic view

There exists a romantic view of downtown Iloilo remaining in a time warp, woven around blocks of superlative, intact 1920s-’40s commercial structures, heritage that gives Iloilo one of the most elegant business areas in the country.

What a graceful, outstanding heritage ensemble, it is probably the best, most extensive remaining collection of heritage commercial buildings in the country.

Buildings of the same height, size and of similar design line streets, a rare but vanishing example of urban unity of architectural scale and style in the Philippines. Building layouts are similar—shophouse-type, two-story rental spaces connected by an arcaded sidewalk.

The style of embellishment indicates the date of construction. Structures from the 1920s are decorated in the feminine, lacy Iloilo wedding-cake style.

The next generation of buildings designed in Art Deco geometry of the 1930s is followed by a post-World War II generation of structures in the robust, no-nonsense 1950s International Style.

Not all downtown buildings in Iloilo are of heritage quality. New shopping destinations coexist with the traditional stores that have always been in the city center, heightening the commercial counterplay between old and new.

An architectural “read” reveals the Iloilo story. A walk through Iloilo today reveals so much more to the city behind the scenes.

Behind a generic-looking commercial building may stand a grand old mansion. Step back (if Iloilo traffic won’t run you over) to discover that a covered sidewalk is part of a sagging heritage commercial building, a redoubtable dowager whose better days can once again be relived after a simple nip-and-tuck operation.

source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/