THE historical value of Davao City Hall will not be sacrificed when the ground floor is being renovated, although restoration has not been discussed, only renovation.
Davao City Acting City Engineer and City Building Official Joseph Dominic Felizarta, in an interview with SunStar Davao, said renovation of floor of the Davao City Hall, which started last Friday, January 20, is meant to replace old wood materials used in the building as it was built decades ago.
But that is all that will be fixed.
Felizarta said the front door of the City Hall building will be closed until the renovation ends before Araw ng Dabaw in March.
“Daot na ang kahoy sa ilalom, kinahanglan na utrohon (The wooden flooring is worn out, it needs to be replaced),” he said.
He said over time, the wood was rotten, and it was also brittle because it was eaten away by termites.
Felizarta added Davao City Mayor Inday Sara-Duterte, herself, wanted the renovation of the floor.
This ongoing renovation also means the suspension of the renovation being done on the second floor of the city hall.
The city hall lobby and other offices were affected by the renovation as they were the original parts of the old building.
Felizarta said they will replace the wood with concrete matting and steel foundation. The parts that will be replaced were installed in 1926 ten years before Davao was chartered as a city.
Based from reports, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines recognizes the Davao City Hall as a Built Heritage as it depicted American architecture in the 1920s.
The Davao City Hall was declared as a historical site in 2012, with the unveiling rites of a marker by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and National Historical Commission Chair Ludivico Badoy.
Felizarta said he still cannot give the exact cost of the project.
All of those who have business in the city hall are advised to enter through the side doors.