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Region
6: Western Visayas ••• Capiz
Provincial
Capitol
Built
ca. 1915, the Capiz Provincial Capitol is one of a number designed
by the American architect, William Parsons. Born in Akron, Ohio
in 1872, and educated in Yale, Columbia and the Ecole de Beaux Arts
in Paris, France, Parsons organized the architectural office of
the Bureau of Public Works. He was connected with the Bureau from
1905-14.
Heritage
Features:
The capitol belongs to the "California style" inspired
by the California missions, characteristic of Parson's earlier design.
Although elements of Classical architecture are evident in the central
portal, and the generous use of Roman arches for windows, the capitol
lacks the temple-like look of Neoclassical capitols and municipal
halls. The style has a overhanging pitched roof supported by protruding
carved corbels. Capiz window shutters give the building an informal
and domestic, rather than a solemn or hieratic, air. All told, the
style is a modern and simplified interpretation of Spanish-Filipino
architecture of the 19th century. The building is integrated
into a trapezoidal lot and takes full advantage of the limited space.
The foyer of the capitol leads to a graceful flight of stairs leading
to the upper stories. A light well illumines the capitol's interior.
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