M1015: Rizal Avenue Postcard

The postcard shows a view of Rizal Avenue as seen in the 60s. Seen in the postcard are some of the famous cinemas in the area, Ideal Theater and State Theater (right side of the postcard after Otis), and also the Otis Department Store. Still no Manila LRT Yellow Line!

M1015: Rizal Avenue Postcard

Prior to and right after World War II, Rizal Avenue was center of the city's social life, with the street lined with shops, restaurants and movie theaters like the Ideal and State Theaters. The Ideal Theater, designed by Pablo Antonio in 1933, was demolished in the 1970s to give way to the construction of a department store. The State Theater, designed by Juan Nakpil, was built in the 1930s with its art deco design. It closed in the 1990s and was demolished in 2001. The main culprit of the deterioration of Rizal Avenue area was the LRT.

Rizal Avenue: The Sta. Cruz district's main street and Manila's longest (from Carriedo in Quiapo to Monumento in Caloocan City) is popularly known as Avenida Rizal named after Jose Rizal. Formerly Calle Dalumbayan, which meant edge of town or end of civilized territory.

SOURCES:
Rizal Avenue Wikipedia Entry
Standalone movie theaters of the Philippines
Daluyan: Historical Dictionary of the Streets of Manila
by National Historical Institute, p. 92