Background
Pablo Antonio was born on the 25th of January 1901 in Binondo, Manila, Philippine Islands.
Ideal Theater - 1933. The first work of Pablo Antonio along Avenida Rizal in Manila. The theater was demolished in the late 1970s to give way to the construction of a department store.
Far Eastern University (Manila) - 1938 Thanks to the success of the first work soon Pablo drew attention of Far Eastern University founder Nicanor I. Reyes Sr. who ordered to construct several buildings on the university's territory (1938-1950).
Boulevard-Alhambra (Bel-Air) - 1937 On the 4th floor is located Manila Bay Hostel. The art deco apartment is near T. M. Kalaw Avenue & beside Miramar Hotel.
White Cross Orphanage - 1938 The building is located along Santolan Road in San Juan City was aimed to be a fresh-air shelter for the children of TB patients. The building was an Art Deco design with its facade shaped like a large white cross. The bas-relief of children at play that was designed by Italian sculptor Francesco Monti softened the linear and sharp structure of the facade.
Ramon Roces Publications Building - 1950 He likewise designed the Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman Institute of Electronics) in Soler Street in Manila.
Scala Theater Another theater designed by Pablo Antonio was the Scala Theatre, also on Avenida Rizal in Santa Cruz. With its floors paced with tea rose marble and its curved wall ligned with glass blocks, the theater's magnificence did not last: it was closed in the 1990s. The theater catered to up to 600 people for its single screen operations. As of 2013, the theater is now closed though the building structures still remain, albeit in a dire condition.
Life Theater - 1941 Located in Manila, this cinema house is now called Teofilo Villonco Building. It is designed in Art Deco style. The white facade of the theater contains both elements of art deco and neoclassical architecture due to the building's streamlining and scaled round columns which each adorned with a conical finial. The theater was also adorned with aluminum buffles, consistent with its Art Deco design. Along with the Times Theater, the theater is found along Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo. It has since been converted to a shopping center.
Pablo Antonio was born on the 25th of January 1901 in Binondo, Manila, Philippine Islands.
Pablo became an orphan when he was just 12, so it was hard for him simply to finish higher school education. After that he studied architecture at the Mapua Institute of Technology but dropped out of school. Ramon Arevalo, an engineer, noticed Pablo and sent a dropout to study at University of London, from which he graduated in 1927, completing 5-year course in just 3 years.
For the first time Pablo stepped into the realm of architecture in 1933, when he constructed the Ideal Theater along Avenida Rizal in Manila. After that, his career started to develop fast. During his lifetime he managed to design several buildings that nowadays are considered to be architectural wonders of Art Deco and modern style.
He designed the White Cross Orphanage (1938) along Santolan Road in San Juan City, the Manila Polo Club (1950) in Makati City, 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). Antonio also designed several theaters in Manila, including the Dalisay, Forum, Galaxy, Life (1941), Lyric and Scala Theaters.
His works for the Far Eastern University, aside from being hailed as the largest ensemble of Art Deco in Manila, was recognized by the UNESCO in 2005 for its cultural preservation.
