The Aduana Building (''Aduana de Manila'' or ''Manila Customs House''), also known as the Intendencia, was a Spanish colonial structure in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

that housed several government offices through the years. It is located in front of the BPI Intramuros (formerly the site of the old Santo Domingo Church) at

Plaza España A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, Soriano (Aduana) Ave. corner Muralla St. in

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

Architecture

This two-storey governmental structure follows a Neo-Classical tradition, with an emphasized horizontality and symmetrical form, particularly on the design of its

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

. The central bay had three arched entrances and two principal staircases built around the two atriums. The rectangular fenestration on the upper most story were decorated with rustication. The window-like portals opening out to small balconies were framed with

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s topped with ornate capitals and were adorned with elaborate geometrical grillework. Similar ornate grillework also decorated the main entryways in the building.

History

The Aduana, or Custom House, was built in Intramuros to attract merchants to remain within its walls rather than outside of it. Records show that in 1822, a Spanish

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Tomás Cortes took charge of the project and began its construction in 1823. Despite objections due to insufficient space for warehousing and its distance from the port, the construction continued until its completion in 1829. However, in 1863, the Aduana suffered damage from an earthquake, which led to its demolition in 1872.Torres, Jose Victor Z. 2005. ''Ciudad Murada: A Walk Through Historic Intramuros.'' Manila: Intramuros Administration and Vibal Publishing House. Reconstruction of the building was later awarded to Luis Perez Yap-Sionjue, which began in 1874 and was completed in 1876. The rebuilding of the structure was still based from the original design of CortesThe Aduana Intendencia
. ''Retrospektura.'' Accessed on 03 May 2014. but it has now housed the Custom Offices, the Civil Administration Office (''Intendencia General de Hacienda''), the Treasury, and the Mint House (''Casa de Moneda''). When the Customs transferred, the offices of the Mint House and Treasury remained in the building and was renamed as Intendencia. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the building once again suffered damage; first from Japanese bombings in 1941 and later on from American and Filipino artillery during the Battle of Manila in 1945. The Aduana was repaired after the war and served as the offices of the Central Bank of the Philippines, the National Treasury and eventually the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

. The building was abandoned in 1979 after it was ravaged by fire. In 1997, the National Archives acquired the building to serve as their future office. Restoration efforts were under discussion since 2015, and reconstruction commenced in 2021. According to

Google Street View Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expa ...

imagery dated May 2022, some of the façades have been reconstructed with new stonework and paint.

References

External links

{{Intramuros Buildings and structures in Intramuros Government buildings in the Philippines Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links