From the Provincial Capitol, Jandy, Cheska, Janet, Katrina and I proceeded to the just newly restored Sison Auditorium which was just a few blocks away. The pre-World War II Sison Auditorium, now the Sison Cultural and Heritage Center, was built from 1926 to 1927.

Sison Cultural and Heritage Center

Formerly known as the Grand Provincial Auditorium in the 1930s, iti was a popular venue for zarzuelas and other cultural performances in pre-war and early post-war period.  The auditorium was later renamed after the late governor Teofilo Sison, the first Pangasinense to become secretary of National Defense.

From 2008-2010, it was restored and refurbished by Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. and was inaugurated on April 5, 2010.  The refurbished Neo-Clasical-style auditorium, now a venue for cultural activities in the region, was meticulously designed to compete with the best cultural centers in the land.  

Cheska “performing” on stage

This beige and white colonnaded building has a 7-bay loggia  with round, monolithic columns with Classical capitals supporting a semicircular arch.  Above each column are circular tondi (roundels) set in spandrels (the space between arches). Its intricately handcrafted interiors includes state-of-the-art lighting and a majestic chandelier, imported from Austria, hanging from the highest point of the ceiling.

The majestic chandelier

Sison Cultural and Heritage Center: Capitol Compound, Lingayen, Pangasinan