lead architect · Flushing Meadows, New York
Otilio Arellano
About
Otilio Arellano (1916-1981) belonged to the country's most prominent architectural family as the son of Arcadio Arellano and nephew of Juan Arellano. He came into his own during the 1950s and 1960s, when he represented the Philippines at several international expositions.
His signature work is the Philippine Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair, a circular structure of about 1,500 square meters crowned by a roof shaped like a salakot, the wide-brimmed Filipino farmer's hat. Rather than woven palm, he clad the form in anodized aluminum, pairing a native silhouette with space-age materials to present the islands to a global audience.
At home he was entrusted with heritage as well. Together with Alejandro Arellano he led the 1978 restoration of his uncle Juan's art deco Manila Metropolitan Theater, reopening the landmark that December under a program driven by First Lady Imelda Marcos. Otilio died in 1981 in a fire that consumed the family's ancestral home in San Juan.
Credited work
lead architect · Manila
Public records referenced
- Otilio Arellano, born in Manila in 1916, was the son of Arcadio Arellano and nephew of Juan Arellano.
- Otilio Arellano designed the Philippine Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair, a circular pavilion with a salakot-shaped roof of anodized aluminum.
- The 1978 restoration of the Manila Metropolitan Theater was carried out under architects Otilio and Alejandro Arellano, with the theater reopening in December 1978.
- First Lady Imelda Marcos selected Otilio Arellano to help lead the restoration of the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
- Otilio Arellano died on May 13, 1981 in a fire at the family's ancestral home in San Juan.
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