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Escolta Street (lit: Escort) is a historic east–west street located in the old downtown district of
Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the ...
in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
,
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 ...
. It runs parallel to the Pasig River, from Plaza Santa Cruz to Plaza Moraga and Quintin Paredes Street. The street is home to several fine examples of early skyscraper design in the Philippines. In Spanish, it is known as ''calle de la Escolta''. Its definition as a historic financial district includes Escolta and other surrounding streets of
Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the ...
and Santa Cruz. It currently carries one-way eastbound traffic towards Santa Cruz.


History

One of the oldest streets in Manila, Escolta was created in 1594. Its name was derived from the Spanish word ''escoltar'', meaning "to escort". In Walter Robb's essay Main Street, he states, "The gates of the walled city were closed at sunset, when curfew rang from the towers of all its churches; they were not opened again until dawn. Low, massive, stone-arched, typically medieval as you see them today, these gates were all furnished out with ponderous drawbridges lowered and raised by rude capstans, with strong porcullises of square iron bars which settled into place as the drawbridges rose upright." After some individuals went missing "along the sandy path to the bridge," Robb continues, a delegation petitioned the governor to station a detachment of
halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...
iers "along the path as a guard until after the city gates were closed." "The governor assented, detailing a grizzled officer to arrange the escort, the ''escolta'', in such a manner as to protect the path for a period of six months; and from this the winding path by the riverside got its name, ''la escolta'', the escort, long before it was widened to the dignity of a street." Escolta was known for its concentration of immigrant merchants, mainly from
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its c ...
, China, who came to make their fortune during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade. The street was lined with shops and boutiques selling imported goods from China,
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
and elsewhere in
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
that arrived in the nearby port of San Nicolas. By the late 19th century, Escolta flourished into a fashionable business district hosting the city's tallest buildings as well as the Manila Stock Exchange. The shops were replaced by modern department stores and an electric tram line known as '' tranvía'' plied the street. Escolta served as the city's primary commercial district until its decline in the 1960s when the center of business gradually shifted to
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentratio ...
.


In music

The first known reference to "La Escolta", can be heard on the zarzuela "El pay-pay de Manila" ''Al volver de la Escolta Charito'' ''tras comprarse un precioso paipay,'' ''y una carta encontró de Pepito'' ''en su rocabay,'' ''¡Ay, que se le cai!'' ''Y en la carta le hablaba de amor'' ''¡Ay Jesús, qué calor, qué calor!''


Architectural establishments

* Don Roman Santos Building :A neo-classical building fronting Plaza Goiti (Lacson) in the eastern end of Escolta Street. The building once housed the headquarters of Monte de Piedad and Prudential Bank before it was sold to
Bank of the Philippine Islands Bank of the Philippine Islands ( fil, Bangko ng Kapuluang Pilipinas, es, Banco de las Islas Filipinas, commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is t ...
. *
First United Building The First United Building, formerly known and still commonly referred to as Perez-Samanillo Building, is an Art Deco building on Escolta Street in Binondo, Manila, Philippines. It was designed by Andrés P. Luna, the son of renowned painter Jua ...
:One of the few surviving examples of
art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
architecture in Manila, it was the tallest building in Manila at the time of its completion in 1928. Designed by Andres Luna de San Pedro, the building was previously named Perez Samanillo Building. *
El Hogar Filipino Building El Hogar Filipino Building, also known simply as ''El Hogar'', is an early skyscraper in Manila, Philippines. Built in 1914 and located at the corner of Juan Luna Street and Muelle dela Industría in the Binondo district, El Hogar Building was des ...
: A neo-classical and Renaissance building built as a wedding gift for the union of a Zobel daughter and a Peruvian count back in 1914. It was designed by Ramon Irureta-Goyena and Francisco Perez-Muñoz in the Beaux Arts Style. *
Regina Building Regina Building, previously known as Roxas Building, is a historic building located along Escolta Street in Binondo, Manila, Philippines. It was designed sequentially by Andrés Luna de San Pedro and Fernando H. Ocampo. The neoclassical beaux-a ...
:Built in 1934, this four-storey building was designed in the neo-classical style by Andres Luna de San Pedro. *
Natividad Building Natividad Building is a historic building along Escolta corner Tomas Pinpin, Binondo, Manila, Philippines. Designed by Philippine-born Spanish architect Fernando de la Cantera Blondeau, it is an outstanding example of beaux-arts architecture. It ...
:A beaux arts style building that housed the Insurance Commission in the 1950s. *
Burke Building The Burke Building in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a building from 1836. It was Pittsburgh's first major office building and a major anchor of the city's financial district centered on Fourth Avenue. Since the 1845 Great Fire burned over ...
:Named after philanthropist, William J. Burke, the building is known as the location of the first elevator in Manila. *
Calvo Building The Calvo Building is a historic building along no. 266 Escolta corner Soda Streets, Binondo, Manila, Philippines. Built in 1938, it is an outstanding example of beaux-arts architecture. It served as the home of the radio station DZBB-AM before ...
:Another fine example of beaux arts style architecture, it was built in 1938 by Edificio Calvo and designed by Fernando Ocampo. In 1950, the building was also the location of the first radio studio of
DZBB-AM DZBB (pronounced DZ-double-B; 594 AM) Super Radyo is a radio station owned and operated by GMA Network. It serves as the flagship station of the Super Radyo network and one of the assets of RGMA Network. The station's studio is located at the ...
(a flagship AM radio station of
GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network ( ...
) until 1957 before the transferring of the DZBB studio in GMA Network Center (the current headquarters of GMA 7) along
EDSA Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA, is a limited-access circumferential highway around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or cities, ...
corner Timog Avenue, Diliman,
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was foun ...
. * Capitol Theater :Designed by Juan Nakpil and built in the 1930s, this theater had a double balcony, which is a rare architectural design. The theater's facade has reliefs of 2
muses In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...
done by Francesco Monti. The theater is now closed, its location serving as a venue for a few commercial establishments and restaurants.


Gallery

File:Roman R. Santos Building.JPG, Roman R. Santos Building File:Manilajf9487 39.JPG, First United Building (former Perez-Samanillo Building) File:WTMP Flashbang B22-G.JPG, Regina Building north façade viewed from the street File:Street Vendors along Escolta.JPG, Street vendors in front of Regina Building at Escolta, Manila File:Manilajf9532 11.JPG,
Natividad Building Natividad Building is a historic building along Escolta corner Tomas Pinpin, Binondo, Manila, Philippines. Designed by Philippine-born Spanish architect Fernando de la Cantera Blondeau, it is an outstanding example of beaux-arts architecture. It ...
File:Burke Building, Escolta.JPG,
Burke Building The Burke Building in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a building from 1836. It was Pittsburgh's first major office building and a major anchor of the city's financial district centered on Fourth Avenue. Since the 1845 Great Fire burned over ...
File:Calvo Building details 2.JPG,
Calvo Building The Calvo Building is a historic building along no. 266 Escolta corner Soda Streets, Binondo, Manila, Philippines. Built in 1938, it is an outstanding example of beaux-arts architecture. It served as the home of the radio station DZBB-AM before ...
beaux-arts details


See also

* Colon Street *
Calle Real Calle means "street" in Spanish and Venetian. Calle may also refer to: Places * Calle-Calle River, southern Chile *Stations of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia: **Suba Calle 95 (TransMilenio) **Suba Calle 100 (TransMile ...


References

{{Road infrastructure in Manila Streets in Manila Binondo