Background
Arcadio Arellano was born on November 13, 1872, in Manila, Philippines. He was the third of fifteen children of Luis C. Arellano and Bartola de Guzman.
(Bahay Nakpil-Bautista was built by Arcadio Arellano for D...)
Bahay Nakpil-Bautista was built by Arcadio Arellano for Dr. Ariston Bautista.
1914
(Gota de Leche was architected by Arcadio Arellano and his...)
Gota de Leche was architected by Arcadio Arellano and his brother Juan Arellano.
(Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution was built by ...)
Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution was built by Arcadio Arellano.
(Casino Español de Manila was designed and built by Arcadi...)
Casino Español de Manila was designed and built by Arcadio Arellano and his brother Juan Arellano.
Arcadio Arellano was born on November 13, 1872, in Manila, Philippines. He was the third of fifteen children of Luis C. Arellano and Bartola de Guzman.
Arcadio Arellano had his early education from the schools in Manila. Later he entered Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now Ateneo de Manila University), receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1892. Afterwards, he took courses in business and construction building in the Escuela de Artes y Oficios, graduating in 1895.
Immediately after graduation in 1895, Arcadio Arellano put up an architect and surveyor's office, the first of its kind. During the second stage of the Revolution, he served in the engineer corps of volunteers and attained the rank of captain. In 1898 he supervised the repair of the Malolos convent for the use of the Revolutionary government. At the beginning of the American regime, under the Schurman Commission, he was placed in charge of assessments in Intramuros, Manila, and in 1901, technical director of general assessment for the whole city. Also, he became a private consulting architect to Governor W.H. Taft. Arellano kept his office in a two-story edifice which he designed on Evangelista Street in 1904. On February 15, 1907, he was appointed member of the advisory board of Manila, particularly for the district of Santa Cruz, which position he held until July 1, 1908. Two years later, on May 8, 1909, he was appointed member of the municipal board, a position he discharged until the end of the year. He was again named member on October 18, 1913, and he served until May 6, 1915, when he resigned.
On October 8, 1915, his services were again needed by the government in the preparation of plans and specifications for the construction of a memorial to the heroes of 1896 under Act No. 2494 which he did with credit until October 7, 1916. Both as advisor and councilman, he assisted in the drafting of important ordinances such as the one passed penalizing gambling, another instituting a prize to the inventor of a fire-proof but cheap roofing material, ordinances revising the light and power rates and reclaiming lands along the Tondo beach. He was a member of the committee which prepared the building code for Manila. He also worked with then-Speaker Sergio Osmena in planning a pantheon for Filipino heroes.
As an architect, he planned and constructed numerous residences in Manila among which are those of Gregorio Araneta on R. Hidalgo Street, Carmelo on Azcarraga Street, the Tioquis, Dr. Ariston Bautista on Barbosa Street, Gonzalo Tuason, Rosario Ongrin, and his own residence on Evangelista Street, besides considerable buildings in the provinces. Among the buildings designed for commercial or industrial uses, he designed and built were "El 82", the former Hotel de Francia, and the Carmelo & Bauermann building. He built the Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution and the Legarda crypt in Cementerio del Norte. He created and erected the buildings of Gota de Leche on Lepanto Street and the Casino Espanol on Taft Avenue in collaboration with his brother, Juan Arellano.
After his brother finished his studies in the United States, the latter joined him, and they became partners and worked together in 1911-1916. He was also associated with Martin Ocampo, his father-in-law, in the twin dailies El Renacimiento and Muling Pagsilang but the Renacimiento case instituted by Dean C. Worcester drained him of his savings.
Arcadio Arellano is considered to be one of the most prominent and successful Filipino architects and a Maestro de Obra during the Spanish Period in the Philippines. His two important buildings, Gota de Leche on Lepanto Street and the Casino Espanol on Taft Avenue, earned him and his brother a good response from the press and critics of the day.
Casino Español de Manila
(Casino Español de Manila was designed and built by Arcadi...)
Gota de Leche
(Gota de Leche was architected by Arcadio Arellano and his...)
Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution
(Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution was built by ...)
Bahay Nakpil-Bautista
(Bahay Nakpil-Bautista was built by Arcadio Arellano for D...)
1914Arcadio Arellano was a charter member of the defunct Philippine Academy of Engineering, Architecture and Land Surveying, 1902, and successively became director, treasurer, and its president in 1908. He was also a charter member of Club Popular, Club International, Club Filipino, Club Nacionalista, and Property Owners Association of Manila, as well as a member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Manila Merchants' Association, etc.
Arcadio Arellano was a good dresser and a well-groomed man. He was a lover of horses and music. He had a tenor voice. He painted and had a collection of paintings. He kept a poultry farm and raised hogs as a pastime.
Quotes from others about the person
Probably the one who distinguished himself most in stimulating original designing in architecture was Arcadio Arellano, son of an old native architect. Unlike some of his contemporaries, he tried and succeeded to depart from European and American models and started to use native plants and objects as decorative motives of his designs." - Fabian de la Rosa
Arcadio Arellano was married to Amalia Ocampo. The marriage produced nine children, Luis, Araceli, Natividad, Irma, Frine, Arturo, Raul, Otilio, and Elsa.
Luis C. Arellano (June 21, 1848-December 22, 1900) was a builder himself, having erected the Franciscan Church at Pinaglabanan, San Juan del Monte. He also served as assistant to the Spanish consulting architect for the City of Manila, Don Juan Hervas, from 1887 till 1893. He later became superintendent of the waterworks at San Juan del Monte.
Juan Arellano was a Filipino architect. He is known for his works such as Manila's Metropolitan Theater (1935), Legislative Building (1926; now houses the National Museum of Fine Arts), the Manila Central Post Office Building (1926), the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (1934), the Central Student Church (now Central United Methodist Church, 1932), the old Jaro Municipal Hall (1934) and the old Iloilo City Hall (1935) in Iloilo, the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol (1936), the Cebu Provincial Capitol (1937), the Bank of the Philippine Islands Cebu Main Branch (1940), Misamis Occidental Provincial Capitol Building (1935), Cotabato Municipal Hall (1940) and the Jones Bridge during the pre-war era.
