Hard to imagine that this was what Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo used to look in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Regally beautiful and quite European.
The building on the left was called Hotel de Oriente and the one on the right was the La Insular Cigar Factory. Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz was then known as Plaza Carlos IV.
Hotel de Oriente was said to be the country's finest hotel at the time. Rizal was said to have stayed at the hotel a number of times whenever he was in Manila. It was also a favorite of the Americans. The hotel was said to be well ventilated and quite luxurious. It was 3 storeys high, had more than 80 rooms, and had a stable big enough to accomodate 20 or so of its guests' horses. It was considered a plush hotel for its time.
The La Insular Cigar Factory was a stab at private enterprise once the Spanish tobacco monopoly ended in 1880. The company was founded by Don Joaquin Santamaria along with associates Don Luis Elizalde and Don Manuel Clemente. From the photo above, the structure looked so grand and palatial from the outside that it was hard to imagine or picture it to be a cigar factory. One could easily mistake it for some rich man's opulent residence.
Unfortunately for our generation and the ones that will come after us, both buildings are no longer around to be admired. Both did not survive the Second World War. They are now but a mere memory to surviving members of our grandparents' generation. Luckily for us and the generations that will follow us, they were preserved for us to awe and admire through period photographs like the one above.
The Metrobank building now stands at the site of the old Hotel de Oriente while a commercial building stands at the site of the old La Insular Cigar Factory.
Photo credit: Photographer Unknown
Friday, February 22, 2008
Lost Grandeur
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8 responses:
i love that era. it's sad that some buildings were pulled down to give way to modernisation. ;(
Hi Ipanema,
Same here. Manila did lose a lot of beautiful buildings during the war. Please don't get me started on modernization. I still have bitter memories about Lito Atienza's decision to tear down the Sky Room on Taft Avenue a few years ago. That was an Art Deco masterpiece. He ought to be condemned for what he did.
i used to be a regular in this area. i handled chinese accounts (company appointment even though i'm not chinese) in binondo. binondo now is far from the binondo in that picture. nevertheless, i love binondo especially the food. the old, dilapidated buildings are still there, same goes with the manually operated elevator in juan luna and the dark alleys leading to chinese restaurants that serve authentic chinese cuisine.
Binondo, Quiapo, and Santa Cruz are the only reminders we have of Old Manila. There are pockets in Ermita and Malate but these two districts were badly damaged in the liberation of Manila. I used to walk all these districts to admire old buildings and homes. I enjoyed those "surveys". :)
You should visit the Kaisahan Foundation Museum in Intramuros the next time you drop by. They have loads of period photographs of old Manila in there. Or maybe you can check out my Dec 2006 and January 2007 post for the pictures.
I still remember some of the old buildings in Binondo and Escolta and yes, Atienza's decision to tear down the old Jai-Alai building along Taft Avenue to make way "kuno" for a new Justice building was indeed infuriating. Eh wala namang nangyari because save for some steel structures, di pa rin ginagawa yung building hanggang ngayon. It has become an eyesore and a monument to Atienza's stupidity. Kumita kaya siya?
Rudy,
Malamang kumita nga. Atienza could have been more imaginative in his approach. He should have preserved the building's exterior and renovated the interior. He did not have to resort to demolishing a landmark. Stupid talaga.
it's a pity many buildings in old manila didn't survive the war.
Monaco,
True. We did lose a lot of architectural treasures during the liberation of Manila. Sad.
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