2000 Gawad Alab ng Haraya Awardee

(Alab ng Haraya Awards)

Filipinas Heritage Library
Makati City - http://www.fillib.org.ph     

For a landmark of both architectural and historical significance, Filipinas Heritage Library (formerly, Nielson Tower) sits rather inconspicuously among the towering structures in the concrete and glass jungle that it predates by nearly half a century. Through the decades, the original Nielson Tower has served witness to the transformation of the Makati Central Business District from the hectare upon hectare of nearly empty fields it originally was to the bustling hub of activity it is today. Yet, even as its surrounding environs changed, the Nielson Tower remained the same, retaining its pre-war structure along with its old-world appeal.

Named after Lorrie R. Nielson, an American stockbroker who together with other Manila-based foreign businessmen financed its construction, the Nielson Tower began as the passenger terminal and control tower of the Nielson Airport in 1937. Back then, the airport served as a major gateway between the adjacent capital, Manila, and the rest of the country, as well as between the Philippines and the rest of the world.

With the outbreak of World War II, the Tower suffered considerable damage, being a crucial pawn in the bid for control of both the American and the Japanese forces. Though it was rehabilitated and fully restored and its air services resumed, a decision two years after the end of the war to relocate the airport was made. This left the Tower in the hands of the Ayala y Compañia, the owners of the land and the precursor of the present-day Ayala Corporation.

In the early 1990s, with plans for the development of the Ayala Triangle came the decision by the Ayala Corporation to preserve the Tower and enhance its value as a cultural and historical landmark--hence, the plan to convert the Tower into a library. That is how Filipinas Heritage Library came to be.

Except for the addition of a permanent circular canopy over the front entrance, the architectural and construction consultants made no other structural changes to the façade of the building. Inside, all renovation work respected the existing layout as much as possible, with changes being made only to the extent that these were necessary to ensure efficient library operations. For even as conscious efforts to preserve the original structure influenced the blueprint for the restoration, existing alongside these was an astute awareness of the needs of a modern research library and its collection of references.

In the five years since it first opened its doors, the Filipinas Heritage Library has contributed to elevating people’s understanding of the need to preserve and study the nation’s heritage and has stood as clear proof of the power of foresight

Gawad Alab ng Haraya at Dangal ng Haraya Guidelines