Wow, lovely
Thanks Alan
Some interesting old pics here:-
http://philippineslifestyle.com/blog...otograph-1905/
Roxas Boulevard ... in more peaceful times .
The Cavite Boulevard was part of architect Daniel Burnham’s plan for Manila. It was renamed Dewey Boulevard ( after U.S. Admiral George Dewey, under whose command the Spanish navy was defeated in the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 ).
During the 1960s it was ( again ) renamed, as Roxas Boulevard, in honour of the 5th President of the Philippines, Manuel Roxas.
Undated view of Rizal Avenue ( unfortunately affected by linear markings ), still one of Manila’s main thoroughfares, mostly within the Sta. Cruz district :-
Philippine General Hospital, in Ermita, shortly after opening its doors to the public in 1910. Biggest hospital in the country ( ~ 1,500 beds ), state owned but administered by University of the Philippines. One of the few Philippine hospitals that remained open during World War II :-
The hospital celebrated its 75th anniversary in September 1986 :-
Nice pictures once again Alan, thank you
I first visited the Philippines in 1978, while on secondment from University of Glasgow to Universiti Malaya. This " souvenir " may of of interest, in the light of the " GMA " and " Duterte " threads.
Ferdinand Marcos was the 10th President of the Philippines, from 1965 - 1986. He had won the presidential campaign against the 9th President, Diosdado Macapagal ( father of 14th President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ).
The " Newsweek " cover of April 10, 1978 understated his problems, although he HAD made progress in agriculture, industry and education during his first term. Martial Law had been in force since 1972, to control " communist and subversive forces " ; opposition politicians, notably Benigno Aquino ( father of 15th President Aquino ), were jailed ; there was increasing opposition to his corrupt rule ; his health was also failing. He was forced into exile in February 1986, to Hawaii, where he remained until his death in 1989.
( Note the price of " Newsweek " - P 7 or US $ 1 )
I see similarities in the new President
If you want your dreams to come true ...... first you have to wake up
More fascinating pics/posts. Thanks Alan.
Binondo is claimed to be the oldest Chinatown in the world, established 5 centuries ago. The name is derived from Tagalog, referring to the district’s originally hilly terrain. As previous photos show in this thread, many esteros ( canals ) were constructed here in the Spanish colonial period.
After World War II, businesses tended to relocate to Makati.
This photo, from early last century, includes Binondo Church ( where hero of the Philippine Revolution Andres Bonifacio was married in 1895 ) :-
What more can I say but Wow, very nice Alan there can never be too many Photo's like these.
More views of vintage Manila, from a century ago :-
Escolta Street ( Calle del la Escolta ), running parallel to the Pasig River, in Binondo, Chinatown. It was the city’s main commercial district until the 1960s :-
Plaza Goiti ( Plaza Lacson ) at the eastern end of Escolta, with Santa Cruz church. Named after Martin de Goiti who founded the City of Manila in 1571, renamed after Arsenio Lacson ( Mayor of Manila 1952-1962 ) :-
Note the trams in both of these photos. While horse-drawn trams dated from 1888, Manila’s trams ( " tranvia " in Spanish ) date from 1905. Manila’s electric tramway was built by Meralco ( Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company ). Tickets were 12 centavos for first class ( at the front ) and 10 centavos for second class. The trams were destroyed during the 1945 Battle of Manila. Meralco didn’t restore them, but shifted its core business to providing power.
Anybody noticed that vehicles drove on the left in the Phils, in days gone by ?
Hmm... Just noticed that now
If you want your dreams to come true ...... first you have to wake up
All changed in 1945
http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/f...-drive-country
I hadn't noticed until it was just brought to light
Thanks Graham, Simon and Michael
In my opinion that Plaza Goiti view is one of my best - a " RPPC " ( real photographic post card, so clear in detail and showing few signs of ageing ) .
Some more views from my collection, firstly between 1900 and WW I :-
This shows bamboo rafts and cascos ( oblong barges ) loaded with nipa palms on their way to market. Nipa palms ( Nypa fruticans ) grow in soft mud and slow moving tidal and river waters, the long feathery leaves ( still ) being used as roof material. “ Bahay kubo “ ( cube house ), describing the shape of the dwelling, became known as “ Nipa hut “ during the U.S. colonial era :-
Union Landing and Custom House, Wharf, where “ passengers from all incoming steamers land “. The Custom House ( Aduana ) was a Spanish colonial building in Intramuros ( completed 1876 after the original was damaged in an earthquake ) ; damaged during WW II and finally abandoned after a fire in 1979 :-
La Quinta Market, in Quiapo - recently renovated, with a nearby fish port, to expand trading opportunities via the Pasig River :-
Escolta - note the " Fotografia " shop, and electric tranvias ( street cable cars ) which ran from 1905 to WWII :-
Views from 1930s :-
Plaza Goiti ( Plaza Lacson ), public square in Santa Cruz. This contrasts with my earlier photo of the plaza ( #78 above ), with no trams now visible. Martin de Goiti founded the city of Manila in 1571, and Arsenio Lacson was Manila mayor in 1952-1962 :-
Manila Central Post Office, built in 1926, but severely damaged in WWII ; rebuilt in 1946, preserving most of its original design. It had been part of Daniel Burnhams’s plan for the city, placing the building by the Pasig River for easy water transportation of mail :-
Fort Santiago - the Custom House can be seen in the distance across the river. The Anda Monument, outside the northwest edge of Intramuros, was created in honour of Simon de Anda y Salazar, Philippines Governor General 1770-1776. The monument was damaged in WWII ; reconstructed and removed in the 1960s to Bonifacio Drive ( where it remains after recent plans to move it again were abandoned ) :-
More modern views, from 1960s and 1970s :-
Quiapo Church. The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene ( Saint John the Baptist Church ) has been renamed, reconstructed, enlarged and modified after earthquake, fire and war damage, since the 16th century :-
Post Office ( rebuilt 1946, see #85 above ) and “ overpass / underpass “ :-
Manila harbour :-
I really enjoy these pictures that you provide us with Alan, just keep them coming
Thank you Michael and Mark
More views from within the past 50 years :-
.
Rizal Avenue in 1967 - named after the national hero Jose Rizal, mostly within the Sta. Cruz district :-
Rizal Avenue in late 1970s - traffic dominated by Jeepneys :-
Roxas Boulevard and US Embassy in the 1970s. Originally Cavite Boulevard, then Dewey Boulevard, renamed in the 1960s to honour President Manuel Roxas. The Embassy was first constructed to house the US High Commission in the late 1930s ; with independence on July 4, 1946, it became known as the US Embassy :-
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