Manila Metropolitan Theater

The Metropolitan Theater opened in 1931 to a design by Juan Arellano, and it is the finest art deco building in the Philippines - a facade of stylised tropical plants in coloured tile and stained glass, sculpted figures by Italian artist Francesco Monti, and an auditorium decorated in mango and banana motifs rather than European ornament, a deliberate attempt to make deco Filipino. It was wrecked in 1945, patched up, used and abandoned in turn, and spent much of the late twentieth century derelict and disputed between agencies while the district around it declined. The national culture commission bought it in 2015 and completed a restoration that reopened the building in the 2020s. It now stages performances again, and the exterior alone - best seen from Mehan Garden - is worth the detour for anyone interested in how the city looked before the war.

What you actually see

• The tiled facade - stylised plants in coloured ceramic and glass.
• The Monti sculptures - the figures flanking the entrance.
• The restored auditorium - deco ornament in Filipino motifs.
• The Mehan Garden setting - the green space beside it.

When to go

Year-round. Interior access depends entirely on the programme - check what is scheduled, since the building is not permanently open for casual walk-in visits.

Honest expectations

Access inside is event-dependent and irregular. The surrounding streets are busy and rough in places. Much of the interior is reconstruction rather than surviving 1931 fabric.

Nearby

Intramuros is across the road; the Manila Central Post Office and Escolta are a short walk over the Pasig.