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Avenida - Manila Grand Opera House

August 28, 2008

Mula sa ilalim ng madilim na terminal ng Doroteo Jose LRT station sa Avenida makikita ang mga nanggigitatang mga buildings na pinabayaan na ng panahon. Mga buildings na minsan ng nagtala ng kasaysayan ng ating bansa. Maswerte ako dahil sa lugar na ito, may isang malaking sinehan na akong napasok noong bata pa ako. Dito pa nga kami nanood ng Batman noong mga early 1990s. Di din nalalayo sa lugar na yon, dating matatagpuan ang Manila Grand Opera House.

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(The Manila Grand Opera House in Avenida)

Manila Grand Opera House was the premiere live entertainment venue of pre-war Manila and was the cultural center of the Philippines from the Spanish era to the American rule and on to the years following World War II. It was here where the greatest artists of the Spanish, American, and post-WWII eras performed bodabil, zarsuela, concerts, operas and other popular art forms. It was also where great operas featuring foreign artists were performed such as Russian Circus and some American theater companies.

In fact, the old name of Doroteo Jose street was “Melba Street” which commemorates the visit of Nellie Melba, an Australian opera singer. In August 6, 1914, the street was renamed in honor of Doroteo Jose, a patriot who suffered persecution for his convictions.

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(First Photos of the Manila Grand Opera House)

Built in the mid-1800s as the H.T. Hashim’s National Cycle Track, a circular wooden structure with a nipa roof, the Manila Grand Opera House also served as venue for many important national events. On Oct. 16, 1907, it was the setting of the historic inauguration of the first Philippine Assembly. After the war, the theater was renovated, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for both theatrical and cinematic productions, charging 85 centavos for admission to one theatrical production and one movie.


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(Proposed Manila Grand Opera Hotel)

Currently, a new landmark is rising on this historic site, the proposed Manila Grand Opera Hotel. The location of the old opera house was acquired by Cabangon Chua from the heirs of Don Toribio Teodoro. The Grand Opera Hotel will have a Figaro coffee shop and a Chinese restaurant with a chef imported from Hong Kong.

Posted by manilahub at 2:56 pm | permalink

Previous Comments

wow! I have been to the lobby and it was fascinating to get a cool and comfy hotel located in the busy district of Manial!

Posted by johnson ang at October 26, 2008, 11:08 pm

Masama Ugali ng mga may ari dito, sila amba cabangon chua at mga anak nya like edgard.
pag may topak nag aalis at nag tatanggal lang basta basta ng tao. dapat maipa labor mga yan kaso lang nga mga maimpluensya mga taong ito, siguradong pera lang ang pagagalawin tapos ang kaso. injustice ang mangyayari!!!!! blog owner please approved this so people may know what’s happening internally specially how they treat their staff.

Posted by Mgoh staff at January 5, 2009, 4:44 pm

I was doing a research about opera houses in the Philippines for my thesis. What I didn’t know is “what year is the Manila Grand Opera House demolished? and why did they replace that theater into a hotel?” There is only one theater existing here in the Philippines which is the CCP-Manila. To be able, I know we also want to have just 2 or 3 performing arts theater like in the Western countries.

Posted by Joanna April Lumbad at September 13, 2009, 12:08 pm

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