The Legarda Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Sampaloc in the

City of 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 populated ...

. Built in 1922, the school is notable for its main school building that has managed to retain its pre-war architecture, making its building the oldest surviving campus in Manila.

History

The school was built on the land that was donated by the heirs of

Benito Legarda Benito Cosme Legarda y Tuason (September 27, 1853 – August 27, 1915) was a Filipino legislator who was a member of the Philippine Commission of the American colonial Insular Government, the government's legislature, and later a Resident Comm ...

, an eminent legislator and cabinet member of the

First Philippine Republic The Philippine Republic ( es, República Filipina), now officially known as the First Philippine Republic, also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was established in Malolos, Bulacan during the Philippine Revolution against ...

who later became the first

Resident Commissioner of the Philippines The resident commissioner of the Philippines () was a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives sent by the Philippines from 1907 until its internationally recognized independence in 1946. It was similar to current non-voti ...

during the

American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...

. It was in his honor that the school that the school was named after. Andres Luna de San Pedro, the architect son of painter

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogni ...

, designed the school's main building. It became a prominent landmark in the area with its unique Victorian style of architecture which evokes a sense of grandeur. The school's first principal was Andrea Vitan Arce, a renowned educator and writer. The school also received an early distinction for being a model school in 1924. During the Japanese Occupation 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 opposing ...

, the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

forces used the school as barracks. Having survived the war, it was subsequently liberated by the Americans during the Battle of Manila, after which it became the headquarters of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division as well as being the 29th Evacuation Hospital for wounded American soldiers. The

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

also made the school its headquarters for a brief time. Additional school buildings were built in the school grounds to accommodate a growing student population but the original structure has been preserved as a landmark heritage structured cited by the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Notable alumni

* Isagani A. Cruz - former Supreme Court Associate Justice * Washington SyCip - accountant and co-founder of the auditing firm SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. * Robert Arevalo - award winning actor

Gallery

File:Legarda Elementary School facade 3.JPG, fountain fronting the building facade File:Legarda_Elementary_School_facade_5.JPG File:Legarda_Elementary_School_marker.JPG, historical marker File:Legarda_Elementary_School_interior_4.JPG, grand staircase in the building interior File:Legarda_Elementary_School_interior_3.JPG, the school building's hallway File:Legarda_Elementary_School_open_area_1.JPG, view of the school building from the open area in the middle of the school complex

References

External links

{{Commons category, Legarda Elementary School Elementary schools in Manila Education in Sampaloc, Manila