Don Roman Santos Building

Hi guys I'm alive and ready to pump up some history back in this rusty dusty blog. There are still some bugs i have fix with the like, share FB buttons down below but the tweet button seems to work so please tweet if you have the time, I appreciate it.

Alright, this my friends is the Don Roman Santos building a fancy 6 storey neoclassic inspired building located at Sta. Cruz, Manila. Usually you'll see this building often if either you're from FEATI or commuters to LRT up to Carriedo station. Now i dont know much of my architecture wits so architects out there, please bear with me. The building possesses ionic pillars, ornamental pediment, complemented by sculptures of roman design. Now you may be wondering why a building with this taste in architecture exist in a place where vendors, snatchers, addicts thrive in? ( Literally its just 2 blocks away in a street under the shadows of the hideous elevated LRT transit line.)

Well every beautiful building has its own humble beginnings, and Roman Santos here started as the Monte de Piedad, the Philippines' first ever savings bank back in the 1880s. It was constructed by the Archdiocese of Manila to facilitate the city for the Galleon Trade as the City of Manila was flourishing economically.

In the turn of the American Era, the Americans expanded the main building to hold more loans, it continued to flourish until the start of World War II when Manila took a turn for the worse. The building survived the war and eventually the Asian Financial Crisis and even to this day loans for the poorest of the poor. By that time, the building was added with 4 more floors, leaving the original edifice with added aesthetics.

The name Monte de Piedad now holds a new building just across the Sta. Cruz church near the entrance to Chinatown. Binondo, so then it was renamed to the Don Roman Santos building but more commonly known as the BPI building as the current owner is the Bank of the Philippine Islands. Well the ground floor that is..... I have no idea of the status of the upper floors. There are signs of its decay and deterioration, in fact; paints are peeling and windows are falling off and there isn't any news of it ever being restored to old grand.... really sad, they even blend well with the Plaza Lacson and the Sta. Cruz church, showcasing Spanish and American influences in the area.

Its a shame to see this building go to waste. It has potential to turn the nearby plaza into something vibrant ala Piccadilly Circus theme where neoclassic, beau-art and modernity coincide and blend in harmony.... But alas, thats a dream we have to keep for ourselves, until the next time our hopes are renewed by a good soul bent on saving these remaining treasures.

Thank you guys for taking the time to read my blog, and i'll see you in the next expedition.