Beautiful Philippines: A Handbook of General InformationPhilippine Islands. Commission of Independence
History
Beautiful Philippines: A Handbook of General Information
Philippine Islands. Commission of Independence
Philippines -- Description and travel; Philippines -- Economic conditions
At the end of this plaza stands the great Gothic Dominican Church,
one of the very few examples of that style in the city. It has very
fine doors and a beautifully decorated altar and pulpit. Connected
with it, as with all the old churches of the friar orders, is an
enormous convent, very plain outside, but containing much of interest
within--ancient libraries and some very quaint courtyards, cloisters,
refection halls, and a series of religious pictures.
Just back of this church is the gap in the wall, thru which the car
line from the commercial center of the city enters. Hard by is the
Intendencia Building, in which is located the Insular Treasury and
the offices and session hall of the Philippine Senate. Behind this,
on the river front, is a modest monument to Magellan, the one memorial
of the great discoverer in the capital of the land he brought in
contact with Latin civilization.
[Avenues]
The Walled City, except for a short space where the battlements of
Fort Santiago are washed by the river, is completely surrounded by
fine avenues, all bordered on the inside by the stretch of green which
has replaced the former moat. The Magallanes Drive runs for a short
distance between the walls and the Pasig river to the northeast. To
the west is the Bonifacio Drive, with an avenue of palms. This is
now bounded on its farther side by the new Port District, but in old
days was the seaside promenade of Manila. The circuit of the wall is
completed by the Bagumbayan Drive (now Burgos Drive), which sweeps
in a beautiful acacia-bordered quadrant around the east, southeast,
and south.
This avenue will, in a few years, be completely lined with Government
buildings and grounds. It begins at the river, near the end of the
Jones Bridge. Continuing down it toward the bay the traveler passes
first the Mehan Gardens, really a public park, of moderate size,
finely kept. It was the result of the work of a Spanish botanist and
forester, Sebastian Vidal y Soler, of whom a statue stands in its
midst. The garden was completely neglected and used as a camping
ground during the insurrection, but was restored by the present
Government. Beyond the garden in succession, are the buildings of
the Bureau of Printing and the present temporary City Hall. The
street branching off to the left between these is Calle Concepcion,
on the right hand side of which, immediately back of the City Hall,
are the buildings of the Young Men's Christian Association.
Turning to the left from the riverside of the Botanical Garden and
crossing the Pasig River on the Santa Cruz Bridge, then turning to the
right, the traveler comes across another important and imposing avenue,
called the Rizal Avenue. This avenue begins from the heart of the
commercial district of the city, and leads to the northern suburb of
Manila, which is destined to be one of the best residential sections.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account