Carlos D. Arguelles (September 15, 1917 – August 19, 2008) was a Filipino architect who was known for being a leading proponent of the

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

of architecture in the Philippines in the 1960s. He was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

and a

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout who has achieved extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession ...

ee of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

Background

Born in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, he was the fifth son of Tomas Arguelles, a known pre-war Filipino architect, and Carmen Corcuera. Carlos followed in his father's footsteps and graduated in 1940 from the architecture program in the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. He continued his studies at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

where he earned his bachelor's degree in architecture in 1941. The outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

interrupted his masteral studies as he enlisted in the army, eventually assigned to be alongside

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his d ...

and the Philippine

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

government-in-exile in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and as an intelligence officer under General Chuck Parsons in Australia. He returned to MIT after the war to complete his master's degree in architecture, which he obtained in 1946. He died on August 19, 2008, in Manila, Philippines, 27 days before his 91st birthday.

Career

Arguelles returned to the Philippines in 1949 and began his architecture career in the country as an associate of Gines Rivera, the architect behind the planning of the Ateneo de Manila University campus being built at that time in Loyola Heights in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

. He also began teaching at the UST College of Architecture and served as its dean from 1953 to 1959. Arguellles first came into prominence in Philippine architecture thanks to his role as chief architect of Philamlife Homes in Quezon City, the first gated community in the country, as he designed many of the bungalow houses which were suited to the Filipino middle-class lifestyle. He would then move on to design other notable landmarks, including Philamlife's headquarters in

Ermita Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...

in 1962 and the Manila Hilton right across it in 1968. He was also involved with a number of professional societies such as the American Institute of Architects and the

Philippine Institute of Architects The Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) is an architectural society in the Philippines and is the oldest architectural society in Asia. It is composed of noble men and women from the architectural profession of the Philippines. It was foun ...

, as well as socio-civic and religious organizations such as Rotary Chamber of Manila, Philippine Motor Association, Men of the Sacred Heart of the Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish. He was a recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal of Merit by the

in 1988, the Papal Award "Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice" in 1996; "Centennial Honors for the Arts" from the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) established to preserve, develop and promote Arts in the Philippines, arts and Culture of the Philippines, culture in the Philippines.Presid ...

in 1999.

Works

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center (also called ABS-CBN Broadcast Center; formerly known as Broadcast Plaza from 1974 to 1986 and current edifice formerly spelled officially as ABS-CBN Broadcasting Centre) in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines is th ...

Diliman, Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

* Philamlife Homes, Quezon City * Philamlife Building, Manila (Currently planned soon to be demolish in 2024 or 2025) * Manila Hilton Hotel (now Manila Pavilion Hotel, Manila & Currently moved to Pasay City as Hilton Hotel Manila Pasay) *

Development Bank of the Philippines The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is a state-owned development bank headquartered in Makati, Philippines. It is primarily tasked to provide banking services to cater to the needs of agricultural and industrial enterprises. It has 1 ...

Building,

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

Philippine National Bank The Philippine National Bank (PNB, ; ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Hokkien ) is a major Filipino bank based in Pasay in the Philippines. It was established by the Philippine government on July 22, 1916, during the Insular Government, America ...

Building "also formerly as Manila Central College, Manila (now moved to PNB Building currently located in Pasay City & now demolished in 2016) * PNB Makati Center formerly Allied Bank Center * Manilabank Building, (Now VGP Center) Makati * Solid Bank Building, (now

PSBank The Philippine Savings Bank (also known in Hokkien ; & Mandarin ) (shortened as PSBank or abbreviated as PSB) is a savings bank based in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Metrobank and is the 2nd-largest savings bank in the Philippines aft ...

Tower) Makati * Cathedral of the Holy Child (IFI National Cathedral), Manila * Magallanes Theater, Makati (now demolished, replaced by Brgy. Magallanes Hall, Makati) * College of Development Communication Building and Abelardo Samonte Hall (formerly College of Agriculture and Food Science Administration Building) in

University of the Philippines Los Baños The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB; ), also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi (), is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, some 65 kilo ...

, Laguna * Leopoldo B. Uichanco Hall (formerly the Biological Sciences Building) in

, Laguna *

International Rice Research Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its w ...

Building, Los Baños, Laguna * Encarnacion Hall, University of the Philippines School of Economics, Diliman, Quezon City

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arguelles, Carlos International style architects University of Santo Tomas alumni 20th-century Filipino architects Filipino architects 1917 births 2008 deaths People from Manila Filipino military personnel of World War II