Bellevue Theater

Bellevue Theater was built in 1933 in the burgeoning district of Paco, Manila. Spanish architect Abelardo Lafuente y Garcia-Rojo Jr. designed it for Dr. Jose Eduque, a University of the Philippines professor and the chief surgeon at the nearby Philippine General Hospital. Dr. Eduque owned two other popular theaters at that time, Elite and Prince. The theater was built in art-deco style inspired by Philippine Islamic patterns, which themselves were inspired by the Moorish architecture of Alhambra in Spain.

The theater survived World War II, when 70 percent of Manila was razed to the ground. Initially, it operated as a cinema, but later became a retail store for jeans, used clothing, and housewares.  

Today, Bellevue Theater has been repurposed into a branch of the Super 8 grocery chain. Aside from the chain’s distinctive logo signage above the entrance, the facade remains largely intact. The ornate cinema lobby was removed to accommodate grocery aisles stocked with goods.