Quirino Grandstand
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  Quirino Grandstand Location within Rizal Park _location_map.svg) Quirino Grandstand Quirino Grandstand (Manila) | |
Former names | Independence Grandstand |
|---|---|
| Location | Independence Road, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°34′47″N 120°58′29″E / 14.57972°N 120.97472°E |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
Record attendance | 6,000 (2015 Papal Mass) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1946 |
| Renovated | 1949 |
| Architect | Juan Arellano Federico Ilustre |
| Tenants | |
| World Youth Day 1995 2005 Southeast Asian Games Papal Visit Concluding Mass 2015 National Rally for Peace | |
The Quirino Grandstand, formerly known as the Independence Grandstand, is a grandstand located at Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines.
The current grandstand
Contrary to popular belief, the first Independence Grandstand was not originally located on the present site of the Quirino Grandstand but on the area close to Dewey Boulevard right across the Rizal Monument and the flagpole. It was completed in 1946 for the ceremony of the declaration of Philippine independence from the United States on July 4, 1946. Juan Arellano designed the original grandstand in the neoclassical design with ornate elements added to the structure such as a triumphal arch at the top with two "wings" that shaded the main galleries, a stage in the form of a ship's bow with a carved figurehead of a maiden representing freedom, and two other figures, representing a Filipino and a Filipina, that stood about 10 meters (33 ft) tall behind the stage and the central gallery.[1]
The grandstand was later demolished and a new one was built further away from the old site towards near the breakwater and Manila Bay where it stands to this day. Designed by Federico Ilustre, supervising architect for the Bureau of Public Works, the new Independence Grandstand's design was patterned after the Arellano-designed grandstand, (including the triumphal arch) with a simpler design (without the ship bow stage and the statues) and some Art Deco influence in the canopy compared to the original. The structure was completed in 1949, in time for the inauguration of President Elpidio Quirino. Years later after his death, the grandstand was renamed in his honor.[2]
Quirino Grandstand was expanded over the years to accommodate more people, and the triumphal arch was eventually gone. Work in the 1990s brought about a return to the structure's neoclassical roots with the addition of some neoclassical elements in the expansion area.[1]
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