5 MOST HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE

Title: University of Santo Tomas Main Building

Designer/Architect: by Fr. Roque Ruaño

Architectural style: Renaissance Revival architecture

Location: España, Sampaloc, Manila

Date Created: 1924- July 2, 1927

Height: 51.5 m (169 ft)

The building, designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., is the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines.[2] Ruaño was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel, Tokyo.

In 1920, Roque Ruaño was assigned to draw up plans for the UST Main Building to be constructed at the Sulucan property of the Dominican Order. During the years 1922 and 1923, the plans were finally completed. However, some fine tunings may have been made on the design criteria as a result of the new lessons learned from the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1, 1923 which flattened Tokyo and Yokohama.[4] Eventually, construction began in 1924.

Construction began on 1924 and first classes were held on July 2, 1927. The faculties of Philosophy and Letters, Liberal Arts (they would later merge under the Philosophy and Letters name, later to be renamed as the Faculty of Arts and Letters), Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Engineering, and the College of Education were the first occupants who transferred to the new building. Since then, the Main Building has been the focal point of the campus. It is where all succeeding structures revolved.

After the invasion and occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II, the Japanese converted the university into the Santo Tomas Internment Camp for Americans and other non-Filipinos starting on January 4, 1942. Three floors of the building were occupied by the internees. Several internees were located in the Education Building (now housing the University of Santo Tomas Hospital) and other buildings.

On February 3, 1945, during the Battle for Manila the university was liberated by the 1st Cavalry Division, tanks from the 44th Tank Battalion and Filipino guerrillas. On February 4, Japanese commander Toshio Hayashi took some of the internees hostage in the nearby Education Building and negotiated for the Japanese soldiers to rejoin Japanese forces in the south of the city in exchange for the internees. A plaque dedicated in 1954 commemorates the event.[6]

After the war, UST resumed operation, holding classes in the building. The university and the building was visited by Pope Paul VI in 1970[2] and Pope John Paul II in 1995 when UST hosted World Youth Day 1995. In 2015, Pope Francis became the third pope to visit the university, but did not enter the building.

The Manila Film Center is a national building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more than nine hundred piles which reaches to the bed-rock about 120 feet below.

Architect(s): Froilan Hong

Opened: 1982

Construction started: 1981

Architectural style: Brutalist architecture

Location: Pasay, Philippines

Owner: Government of the Philippines

Cost: $25 million (USD)

The Manila Film Center is a national building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more than nine hundred piles[1] which reaches to the bed-rock about 120 feet below.

The Manila Film Center served as the main theater for the First Manila International Film Festival[2] (MIFF) January 18–29, 1982. The building has also been the subject of controversies due to a fatal accident that happened on November 17, 1981. At least 169[3][4] workers fell and were buried under quick-drying cement.[5][6]

The Manila Film Center is said by believers to be haunted due to the 1981 accident that took place during the construction of the structure.[6] The hauntings in relation to the tragedy were discussed in a 2006 episode of GMA Network's i-Witness [32] and a 1991 Halloween Special of ABS-CBN's Magandang Gabi... Bayan.

Departments: Malacañang Gardens

Architect: Luis Rocha

Date constructed/opened: 1750

Architectural styles: Neoclassical architecture, Bahay na Bato, Spanish Colonial architecture

Function: Palace

Owner: Government of the Philippines

Malacañang Palace, officially known as Malacañan Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila district of San Miguel, and is commonly associated with Mendiola Street.

Location: Jose P Laurel Sr, San Miguel, Manila, Metro Manila

Malacañang Palace is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines. It is located in old Manila district of San Miguel, and is commonly associated with Mendiola Street. The term Malacañang is often used as a metonym for the president and his advisers. The sprawling Malacañang Palace complex includes numerous mansions and office buildings designed and built largely in bahay na bato and neoclassical style.

The original structure was built in 1750 by Don Luís Rocha, a Spaniard in the galleon trade, he built it as summer house located at San Miguel, Paco, and Sta. Ana along the Pasig River. The Rocha property was built of stone, described as being a relatively modest country house with a bath house on the river and gardens, all enclosed by a stone fence. The latter was probably a nipa-roofed and bambooenclosed structure built on the water, where away from the gaze of passing boats. It was easily accessible from Intramuros and Binondo by boat or carriage or on horseback. It was purchased by the state in 1825 as the summer residence for the Spanish Governor-General upon Colonel Jose Miguel Formento’s death.

San Agustin Church

Architect:Juan Macías

Location:Intramuros, Manila

Years Built:1586–1607

Architectural styles:Baroque architecture

Function:Church and convent

Length 67.15 m (220.3 ft)

Width 24.93 m (81.8 ft)

Another old standing church that was originally built in 1607. This is considered to be the oldest stone church in the country. If you are visiting this amazing structure, you’ll stand in awe just by seeing the façade. You can definitely see the history written all over the walls and the stone surrounding the church. With the history it contains, in 1993, UNESCO even had it designated as a World Heritage Site

The San Agustin Church is patterned after some of the magnificent temples built by the Augustinians in Mexico. The present edifice was built in 1587, and completed, together with the monastery, in 1604. The atmosphere is medieval since "both church and monastery symbolize the majesty and equilibrium of a Spanish golden era."[according to whom?]

The massive structure of the church is highlighted by the symmetry and splendor of the interiors (painted by two Italians who succeeded in producing trompe l'oeil) – the profile of the mouldings, rosettes and sunken panels which appear as three-dimensional carvings, a baroque pulpit with the native pineapple as a motif, the grand pipe organ, the antechoir with a 16th-century crucifix, the choir seats carved in molave with ivory inlays of the 17th century and the set of 16 huge and beautiful chandeliers from Paris.[16]

A 2022 online study conducted by home services website Angi found out that the church is the "most beautiful building in the Philippines"

Architect: Justo Angco

Location: Quirino Boulevard, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

Years Built: 1830

Architectural styles: Antillean style architecture

Function: Mansion/ Ancestral House

Medium Used: thick stone walls on the ground level, painted wood

It was built in 1830 by Justo Angco, a wealthy businessman of Chinese descent. When his daughter Estefania married Gregorio Syquia in 1875, he and his wife Filomena gave the house to them as part of Estefania's dowry that also included a horse and carriage.

Of the many historical landmarks you can find within Vigan, one that stands out above the rest is the Syquia Mansion. Once resided by the Syquia family, with one of its members marrying former Philippine president and Vigan native Elpidio Quirino, the Syquia Mansion has since been transformed into a public museum, displaying not only the various artifacts owned by the family and the late president, but also an architectural marvel that best encapsulates Vigan’s unique charm.

As an ancestral home turned museum, Syquia Mansion gives its visitors a rare glimpse into high-society Vigan life during the 1800s. Everything you see within the house tells a story over a century old, from its heirlooms to its holes.

Even before you enter, Syquia Mansion is already a treat for history and architecture buffs. The stone exterior’s design has been preserved for over a century, making it a true artifact from the Spanish colonial period. Those architectural feats extend to its interiors, with its unique stone walls and windows decorated with shells.

Entering its doors is like traveling back in time, as you’ll see dozens of artifacts, paintings, and furniture around the mansion. From the horse-drawn carriage right at the entrance to the family portraits painted by Fernando Amorsolo, one of the country’s national artists