Rizal Revival

Inside the Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum

By Ar. Gerard Rey Lico, PhD

The fate of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex almost ended tragically in 2016 if not for the vigilance of heritage groups. Nearly destined to face the wrecking ball, the Complex faced the threat of destruction in 2016 when the Local Government of Manila, which owns the property, expressed their interest in transforming the property into a mixed-use development through a partnership with a private company. Through public consultations and stakeholder discussions, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), which operates the sprawling sports complex, decided against the sale of the property. The continued existence of the complex was assured in April 2017, when the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines jointly declared the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex as a National Historical Landmark and Important Cultural Property, recognizing the significance of the sports complex in the history and heritage of the country. This declaration was secured through the efforts of multisectoral advocacy groups, who lobbied against the property’s sale and conducted the necessary research and documentation to support their cause. Today, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum stands proudly as the product of multi-sectoral efforts to conserve our built heritage.

Rizal Memorial Coliseum

How we got here

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex was envisioned to fill Manila’s need for a national sporting venue described as “an imposing structure which shall be known the world over for its beauty, its size, and its practical utility”. (R.N. Perley, 1918, 357-58)

Inspired by the prestige of the Osaka City Municipal Playground, which was built to host the 1923 Far Eastern Championship Games, Filipinos were set to embark on building their own. A Playground and Recreation Commission was formed, tasked to “further the cause of athletics in the Philippines”. First among the recommendations of the Commission was “to provide an athletic stadium for Manila to be used as a public playground and athletic field capable of seating 30,000 people.” (Macaraig 1929, 367) This launched the movement to construct a “great national playground to be named Rizal Stadium.” (Laubach 1925, 389) Rizal was a leading figure during the struggle against Spanish colonialism and advocated modernization and Western education.

Designed by Juan Arellano, then Consulting Architect of the Bureau of Public Works, and sitting member of the commission, the plans called for a stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 at the cost of one million pesos.

Initially slated for completion in time for the 7th Far Eastern Championship Games scheduled in May 1925, the sports complex’s construction lagged due to a lack of funds. By 1927, the 400-meter track and field and two swimming pools were opened for public use. Work on the other structures in the complex dragged on. By 1934, the baseball, swimming, track-football stadia were ready for use for Manila’s hosting of the 10th Far Eastern Championship Games. However, the coliseum was not finished in time and was completed in 1940.

The complex was designed in the Streamlined Art Deco style, taking cues from nautical and aeronautical forms, coupled with sparing use of geometric patterns executed in precast ornaments and grill works. First opened for public use in 1927, the Swimming Stadium or natatorium has a capacity of 4,000. It contains two swimming pools measuring 50 by 20 meters and another measuring 20 by 6 meters. The first one is used during competitions while the other is primarily for children. The Track-Football stadium has a 400-meter cinder running track and a soccer field. It is provided with a flood lightning system for night events and can seat 30,000 people. The Baseball Stadium has a seating capacity of 15,000 and is provided with an electrically operated concrete scoreboard. Finished in 1940, the Coliseum, originally known as the Tennis Stadium, had a capacity of 10,000 and is the only covered stadium in the Rizal Memorial Field. It contains a shell tennis court and a removable wooden platform for basketball, boxing, wrestling, volleyball, and other sports. It was provided with a boxing ring, Olympic wrestling platforms, glass-banked and steel-framed basketball goal standards, any of which facilities may be set up or dismantled in a few hours. The coliseum also boasted an electric scoreboard and timing device for boxing and basketball, skylights and electric lightning system for day and night events, and a ventilation system which reduces inside temperature and removes vitiated air through the use of large electric blowers.