LOVERBOYZ AVENUE: Royal Postage Heritage Guided tour- the met.

Recently, a bus terminal and parking structure has been constructed at the back of

the theatre. I remembered to watch a play last 1989 when i was in 4th yr High school,

it was still open to the public until it closed february of 1998.

The theater was again closed in 1996 due to ownership disputes between the city

administration and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

On June 23, 2010, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila mayor

Alfredo Lim re-opened the theater after extensive renovations.The Theater used

again once for the Wolfgang Band Concert in 2011. But in 2012, the theater is

closed again due to decays inside the building.

Ownership disputes between the city administration and the Government Service

Insurance System continue to the detriment of the theater’s proper use and upkeep.

there are no efforts to rehabilitate this govt. establishment as the cost to restore this

will be 500m.

Now, thanks to the POSTAL HERITAGE TOUR of Lawrence Chan I was bought back again to Metropolitan Theater.

During the end of World War 2 in 1945, heavy bombardment by
US forces seriously damaged the theatre and destroyed the
northern wing, the original roofing, walls and relief sculptures.
Even after post-war reconstruction funded by the US, the theater
never recovered its original grandeur and gradually fell into disuse
in the 1960’s. The building was restored in the 1970s but again
fell into neglect.

This is how it looks like.

the met from afar

The whole building was designed in an Art Deco style by architect Juan Arellano since the Art Deco style was one of the most sought after designs across the world at that point of time

It was the first theater created before the CCP, it houses the broadway of the phil.

an art deco bldg of Manila, constructed in 1931 by Juan M. Arellano during the

liberation of Mla by the US forces in 1945 , this was severely damaged, losing

some of its roofing and destroying some of the walls. after reconstruction by the

Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s the following decade it was

meticulously restored in 1978 and again fell into decay.

from a bloggers detailed description and I quote: "Sadly, the building is now totally closed and all the rooms are all dilapidated and completely covered with dust. I must admit, I kept on imagining that the place was still beautiful while walking around the building. I tried to think that place was still busy but the creepy hall and worries about our safety just cant help me concentrate in imagining the place in its glorious past." endquote

here are some pics of the met as you enter inside. Now, take a look closely, because

these pics are from the last tour I joined, and its indeed the last, since the tour permit

from GSIS is already "expired", there will be no more tours inside the Met.

The discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 sparked a nationwide craze
that resulted in the construction of several Egyptian-themed movie theaters across
the country. The Egyptian Deco Metropolitan Theater was Houston's most elaborate
downtown movie palace. Behind its traditional Main Street façade, the Metropolitan’s
ornate interior was covered in Art Deco zigzags and stylized interpretations of ancient
motifs.

The landmark building is noted for its refined sculptures on the façade which were
designed by Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from 1930
until his death in 1958. Monti worked closely with De Guzmán Arellano and created
highly stylized relief carving of Philippine plants executed by artist Isabelo Tampingco.
The elegant sculptures decorated the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the building.

Here are some more pics taken atop the Met

the place is famoous for ghost apparitions, I wont be elaborating on that one today. maybe someday

here are more pics you be the judge.

During the liberation of Manila by the United States and Filipino forces in 1945, the theatre
was severely damaged, losing some of its roofing and destroying some of the walls. After
reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s. In the following
decade it was meticulously restored in 1978 but again fell into decay.