Casino Español de Manila is a club established in 1893 by Spaniards living in the

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 ...

as their exclusive venue for recreational and social activities. It later opened its doors to Filipino members to foster Spanish-Filipino ties in the country. It is located at No. 855 Teodoro M. Kalaw Extension,

Ermita, Manila 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 ...

. It is one of the three Casino Español clubhouses in the country, the others being in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

(built in 1920 and still operating) and

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

(built in 1926 and left in ruins after

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 opposing ...

destruction).

History

Spanish period

Earlier records show that Governor General

Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa Narciso José Anastasio Clavería y Zaldúa (Catalan: ''Narcís Josep Anastasi Claveria i Zaldua''; 2 May 1795 – 20 June 1851) was a Spanish army officer who served as the Governor-General of the Philippines from July 16 1844 to December 26 1 ...

formalized the foundation of the casino 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 ...

on October 31, 1844, the date which is celebrated by the casino as the year of its founding.

American colonial period

The first building of the Casino Español de Manila was built in 1913 but formally opened in 1917. It was designed by the architect

Juan Arellano Juan Marcos Arellano y de Guzmán (April 25, 1888 – December 5, 1960), or Juan M. Arellano, was a Filipino architect, best known for Manila's Metropolitan Theater (1935), Legislative Building (1926; now houses the National Museum of F ...

, incorporating influences of neo-renaissance style. The structure used to occupy the whole block from

Taft Avenue Taft Avenue ( fil, Abenida Taft; es, Avenida Taft) is a major road in the south of Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippin ...

to San Marcelino Street and housed the offices of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Consulate General of Spain. As the official clubhouse and social venue of the Spanish community, the building's reception and banquet halls hosted parties, celebrations and balls. Among the noted events in this venue in the 1930s was the extravagant party held to celebrate the birthday of the King of Spain. Apart from attending parties in its halls, guests could also view the garden from the terrace while members could play

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

and

pelota Pelota (Spanish for ''ball'') can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games: * Basque pelota * Chaza * Jai alai * Mesoamerican ballgame * Palla * Pelota mixteca * Valencian pilota * Frontenis * Pétanque Pétanqu ...

games in its courts. In 1945, the structure was destroyed in

during the

Liberation of Manila The Battle of Manila ( fil, Labanan sa Maynila; ja, マニラの戦い; es, Batalla de Manila; ) was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and ...

. The club was temporarily moved to a two-story house along Apacible Street (formerly Oregon) and Perez Street in

Paco, Manila Paco, formerly known as Dilao, is a district of Manila, Philippines located south of the Pasig River, and San Miguel, west of Santa Ana, southwest of Pandacan, north of Malate, northwest of San Andres Bukid, and east of Ermita. According ...

Post-War period

In 1951, Casino Español de Manila was rebuilt on its original site through the help of Ignacio Planas. Parts of the property were sold and the new structure was built facing San Luis Street (now

Kalaw Avenue Kalaw Avenue (formerly ''T.M. Kalaw Street'') is a short stretch of road in the Ermita district of Manila, Philippines. It forms the southern boundary of Rizal Park running east–west from San Marcelino Street to Roxas Boulevard near the center of ...

). The new clubhouse was designed by the architect José María Zaragoza using the prevalent post-World War II “Filipino-California-Spanish style”. The structure has arched verandas surrounding an inner courtyard. The new clubhouse was inaugurated on November 3, 1951, with President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino ente ...

and Vice-president Fernando López in attendance. In 1962, it played host to the ''

Infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

Juan Carlos of Spain Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

(later

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

) and Princess Sofía of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

(later

Queen Sofía Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

). Queen Sofía visited the club once again in 2000 during an official visit to the Philippines.

The Present

While the ''Casino Español'' traditionally services its members, guests and visitors have been welcomed to its compound. The 50-seat Comedor Cervantes serves a traditional range of Spanish, Filipino and international cuisine. Huge antique decorative plates adorn the high walls, individually crafted and hand-painted bearing the coat-of-arms of each of the provincial districts of Spain. The adjoining Bar el Quixote is a well-stocked chamber of select Spanish wines and other spirits. At the back, it has a fronton that is used for

jai alai Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also of ...

and

games. Beside the Casino is the space formerly occupied by the ''

Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cervantes (the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important figur ...

de Manila'' where Spanish classes were held, that promoted the Spanish heritage of the Philippines. The club holds its open-air festivities in its quadrangle, the Patio de Orquidias, where annual events are celebrated, such as the ''"El Día de Reyes"'', commemorating the feast of the Magi; and the ''"Dia de Santiago"'' that commemorates the feast of Saint James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain. A central architectural feature of the edifice is a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

, lined with the club's ballroom, the Salon de Rizal; and function rooms such as the Salon El Cid for large group events, the Salon de Alegre for the '' "caballeros"'', and the elaborate Salon de Señoras lounge for ladies. Towards the club's Fronton where games of ''

Jai alai Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also of ...

'' and ''

'' are held, is the austere Biblioteca Academia de la Lengua Española, a library housing a choice collection of artifacts and journals about Spain. In 1993, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines erected a marker at the entrance of the Casino, declaring its premises as a ''Level-II'' heritage structure.

The Club Presidents

A chronological listing of the club's presidents and their terms:

Platos Especiales

The everyday allure of the Casino Español is the Comedor de

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

, a well-appointed dining room serving its community with some of the closest to authentic Iberian cuisine in Manila. The highlights of this well-regarded gastronomic enclave include their popular paellas, such as the '' Paella a la Valenciana'', the traditional paella of the

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

region, a rice dish made of seafood, sausage, chicken and pork; the '' Arroz a la Marinera'', a Spanish rice dish made of fish and shellfish; and the '' Arroz a la Negro'', a rice dish made of seafood with squid ink that makes the rice color black. Other favorites are the '' Callos a la Andaluza'', an Andalucían-style ox tripe stew; and the ''

Fabada Asturiana Fabada asturiana, often simply known as fabada, is a rich Asturian bean stew, originally from and most commonly found in the autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, but widely available throughout the whole of Spain and in Spanish rest ...

'', a rich bean stew. One of the ''Comedors most notable chefs was Anastacio de Alba, who later founded his own Spanish restaurants. In recent years, the Casino Español de Manila has opened its dining room to all nationalities in its endeavor to strengthen ties with locals. (The Filipino pronunciation of the ''paella'' suite of dishes is "paelya", enunciated with j.html"_;"title=":es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora.html"_;"title=":es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora">j">:es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora.html"_;"title=":es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora">jinstead_of_the_Spanish_:es:Aproximante_lateral_palatal.html" ;"title=":es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora">j.html" ;"title=":es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora.html" ;"title=":es:Aproximante palatal sonora">j">:es:Aproximante_palatal_sonora.html" ;"title=":es:Aproximante palatal sonora">jinstead of the Spanish :es:Aproximante lateral palatal">[ʎ].)

Images

Image:Casino_Espanol_de_Manila_6.JPG, Steps to the main entrance of Casino Español Image:Casino Espanol de Manila 7.JPG, Main lobby that leads to the inner courtyard of Casino Español Image:Casino Espanol de Manila 2.JPG, Arched terraces surrounding the courtyard of Casino Español Image:Casino Español Manila NHCP Historical Marker.png, Placa informativa de la historia del centro

References

External links

*
Casino Español de Manila in Trip AdvisorCasino Español de Manila in the Filipinas Heritage Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casino Espanol de Manila 1951 establishments in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Ermita Buildings and structures completed in 1951 Clubhouses Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Sports venues in Manila Works of National Artists of the Philippines Organizations based in Manila Organizations established in 1844 1844 establishments in the Philippines 1844 establishments in Asia Buildings and structures completed in 1917 1917 establishments in the Philippines 1940s disestablishments in the Philippines 20th-century architecture in the Philippines