The National Museum, which consists of three separate divisions, is now complete with the recent opening of the Natural History Museum in Manila.
By Alex Y. Vergara
Photos by Maica Maglipon
The long wait is over. Five years after this neoclassical gem closed its doors to the public to undergo a massive P2-billion repurposing (the amount includes the venue’s artifacts), the former Department of Tourism (DOT) building in Manila (beside the Children’s Playground) is now open as the National Museum of Natural History. “The Tree of Life” and the skeleton of the once feared “Lolong” are just two of the many attractions that have awed and delighted guests, including not a few street children.
The last of three buildings to form part of the National Museum, the Museum of Natural History along Agrifina Circle features the country’s unique biodiversity through various artifacts and displays, both natural and man-made, including dioramas of various intertidal zones as well as records of endemic and iconic animals such as the tarsier, tamaraw and Philippine eagle.
Other items on display are the skeletal remains of “Lolong,” once the largest Philippine crocodile in captivity. While a gallery is being prepared to feature the reptile’s stuffed remains, a replica of “Lolong” is now displayed at the lobby.
Despite the fact that only four of the 12 galleries are open (people behind the museum hope to open the rest on June 19, Jose Rizal’s birth anniversary), the museum has been drawing huge crowds since it opened Friday, May 18, International Museum Day. From 3,757 people on Friday, the museum drew 5,510 visitors on Saturday and 6,930 visitors on Sunday.
Ana Labrador, assistant director of the National Museum, attributed this huge weekend turnout to several factors. Apart from the novelty factor, admission to the world-class museum is free. Centrally air-conditioned, the venue offers the weary public an escape, if only for a few hours, from the searing summer heat.
“We were casually interviewing people who were lining up to get in the other day,” said Ana. “Not a few of them thought that the free entrance to the museum was for a limited time only. That’s why they all wanted to get in. No! Like the nearby fine arts and anthropology museums, admission to the Natural History Museum is free.”
The “Tree of Life,” a huge sculptural structure made of glass and steel, is decidedly the repurposed building’s major structural focal point. Apart from housing a scenic elevator leading to the upper-floor galleries, the DNA helix-inspired structure also holds a canopy which shields what was formerly an open-air courtyard area from the elements.
Originally known as the Agriculture and Commerce building, the structure was designed by Filipino architect Antonio Toledo sometime in the 1930s. It first opened its doors to the public in 1940.
Like most buildings in the area, it was destroyed in the aftermath of World War II. The building was reconstructed after the war and before long became the DOT building until 2013.
By virtue of the National Museum Act of 1998, the former Legislative building, Department of Finance building and DOT building were to be repurposed to become the permanent home of the National Museum. The DOT building was the last of the three structures to be refurbished.
Dominic Galicia Architects and Tina Periquet were responsible for the repurposing’s architectural and interior design requirements, respectively. What used to be a string of offices were gutted and turned either to galleries or curatorial/storage areas. A flight of stairs at the lobby lead to a circular platform that doubles as the base of the iconic “Tree of Life.”
“The ‘Tree of Life’ is quite unique, quite remarkable,” said Ana. “The trunk holds up the canopy, which is actually a glass dome.”
Mindful that the Natural History Museum is housed in a heritage building, its designers made sure that no part of the canopy touches the building. Why? You’ll never know when a strong earthquake, for instance, could hit, wreaking havoc on both building and the “Tree of Life.” To keep the heat out and the cold in, a thick, weather-resistant fabric is seamlessly attached to the canopy to cover the gap between it and the actual building.
“We envision the Natural History Museum, in a way, as a green building,” Ana added. “That’s the main idea, which inspired us while we were working on the building’s repurposing.”
