Cultural Center of the Philippines

The Cultural Center of the Philippines opened in 1969, designed by Leandro Locsin, and its main theatre building is one of the defining works of Philippine modernism: a great cantilevered block of travertine appearing to float above a reflecting pool, approached across a ramp over the water, with a lobby of capiz chandeliers and a main auditorium that seats close to two thousand. It houses the national ballet, the national theatre company and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, along with galleries, a film archive and smaller performance spaces, and the complex on the bayfront reclamation includes the Folk Arts Theater and other buildings from the same period. Its history is inseparable from the Marcos government that built it - the complex was Imelda Marcos's project, and the 1981 collapse at the neighbouring Manila Film Center, in which construction workers died, remains part of what the site carries. The main building has undergone long structural rehabilitation in recent years; programming continues at other venues.

What you actually see

• The cantilevered facade - travertine block over the reflecting pool.
• The capiz lobby - shell chandeliers and the grand staircase.
• The galleries - exhibitions in the complex's smaller spaces.
• The bayfront setting - the reclamation and Manila Bay beyond.

When to go

Check the calendar - the point is a performance. The main theatre has been under rehabilitation, so confirm which venues are operating before planning around it.

Honest expectations

Access to the main building depends on the rehabilitation programme, and parts have been closed for extended periods. Casual walk-in access is limited to lobbies and exhibitions. Traffic on Roxas Boulevard is heavy.

Nearby

Rizal Park and Intramuros are north along the bay; the Manila Bay boulevard runs south to Baclaran.