The Ayuntamiento de Manila (Manila City Hall) is a building located at the corner of Andrés Soriano Avenue (formerly, ''Calle Aduana'') and Cabildo Street, fronting

Plaza de Roma Plaza de Roma, also known as Plaza Roma, is one of three major public squares in Intramuros, Manila. It is bounded by Andres Soriano Avenue (formerly Calle Aduana) to the north, Cabildo Street to the east, Santo Tomas Street to the south, and Gen ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Also known as the Casas Consistoriales and also nicknamed as the Marble Palace, the Ayuntamiento was the seat of the

Manila City Council The Manila City Council (Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from Manila's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila) ...

, which consisted of two alcaldes (city leaders), eight oidores (judges), a clerk, and a chief constable. Destroyed 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 ...

and reconstructed thereafter, the building now houses the offices of the Bureau of the Treasury.

History

Construction of the Ayuntamiento began in 1599. The original building opened in 1607. After an earthquake damaged it severely, it was ordered demolished. The Ayuntamiento was rebuilt in 1738, in the Baroque style, with ornate wrought-iron balconies, covered arcades, and a central clock tower. This form survived well into the 19th century until it was destroyed again during the

1863 Manila earthquake The 1863 Manila earthquake was an earthquake that struck the Philippines on June 3, 1863. Overview The Manila earthquake on June 3, 1863, destroyed Manila Cathedral, the ''Ayuntamiento'' (city hall), the Governor's Palace (all three located at ...

. From 1879 to 1884, a new building was constructed by Eduardo López Navarro, a military engineer, and according to the designs of architect Felipe Roxas. During the transition from the Spanish to the American rule after the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, General

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he became ...

and

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Fermín Jáudenes Fermín Jáudenes y Álvarez (July 7, 1836 – February 11, 1915) was briefly a Governor-General of the Philippines, from July 24 to August 13, 1898, under the Spanish Empire during the Spanish–American War and the second phase of the Philippin ...

signed the terms of capitulation of Manila in the Ayuntamiento. Until 1903, the Ayuntamiento was used as the office of the American military governor. Later on, the building was used by the

First Philippine Assembly The Philippine Assembly (sometimes called the Philippine National Assembly) was the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1916, when it was renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly w ...

, then by the

Philippine Legislature The Philippine Legislature was the legislature of the Philippines from 1907 to 1935, during the American colonial period, and predecessor of the current Congress of the Philippines. It was bicameral and the legislative branch of the Insular Go ...

until 1924, when it moved to the

Legislative Building A legislative building is a building in which a legislature sits and makes laws for its respective political entity. The term used for the building varies between the political entities, such as "building", "capitol", "hall", "house", or "palace" ...

along Padre Burgos Street in

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city g ...

. It was also used subsequently by the Bureau of Justice and the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. The Ayuntamiento was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Manila, with only the outer walls of the first floor remaining and the lot repurposed as a parking lot. In 1966, the site of the Old Ayuntamiento which was planned to be reconstructed in the same design, was declared as the Osmeña Memorial Building in honor of the late President

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudden ...

, the fourth President of the Republic through Republic Act No. 4840. It also mandates that the building shall provide spaces for an archives section, display rooms, conference and seminar rooms, a library, and all other matters and activities involving the collection and study of historical materials pertaining to the life and works of the late President.

Restoration and current use

Reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento began in 2009, with the building becoming the future home of the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), which was formerly headquartered across Plaza de Roma at the

Palacio del Gobernador The Palacio del Gobernador () is a government building located in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It is located southwest from Plaza de Roma and built in its current form in 1976. At present, the building houses the Intramuros Administration, ...

. Work on the ₱1.2 billion reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento was led by local contractor DDT Konstract, Inc., which sought to be as authentic as possible in reconstructing the building's interiors. Although reconstruction work was originally supposed to be completed by November 8, 2011, completion was delayed owing to several modifications being made by the Bureau to the building's design. The building was ultimately completed in 2013. In 2015, the BTr agreed to open the Ayuntamiento to the public as a tourist attraction.

References

{{Intramuros Buildings and structures in Intramuros Government buildings in the Philippines Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Tourist attractions in Manila History of Manila Former seats of national legislatures