Arrival at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Bagac, Bataan)

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

From Le Charme Suites, we all boarded our coaster for the 68-km. (1 hour and 45-min. drive), via the Gov. J.J. Linao National Rd., to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for “Acuzar’s Philippine Houses”) in Bagac, Bataan province’s newest and certainly most upscale beachside resort.  This beach resort, hotel, convention center and heritage destination rolled into one was designed to resemble a historic Filipino town, was to offer us a taste of the Philippine’s past come to life.

The gated stone entrance, with its keystone jauntily carrying the resort’s elaborate coat-of-arms, welcomed us. The resort, covering an area of around 40 hectares (99 acres), lies in a vast sand-filled estuary bisected near the beach by a small river, with seaside farms stretching off to the north.

Casa Maranao

From the driveway, we espied, across the Umagol River, Casa Maranao, a torogan (a Maranao royal clan house) from Lanao in Mindanao. Built in 1873, it was owned by Sabino Lakowa and its last owner was Dimaawan, the second child of Sabino.  It features panolong, wing-like carvings that flare out from its floor beams, symbolizing the wealth and importance of its occupants.  There are also okir, beautiful carvings that depict the naga (serpent or dragon from Sanskrit literature), and pako rabong amarilis (asymmetrical growing ferns).

Arrival at Casa New Manila

This resort was painstakingly built up in over ten years of intermittent construction.  It has a vast, open-air depository of planks, stone blocks, and tiles salvaged from their original owners or bought from junk shops in Manila.  From these materials, future houses and structures in the complex will be constructed.

Comprised of a collection of several dozen “heritage houses” and buildings, each representing an aspect of national Filipino history, they are an outcome of an organic process of selecting and emplacing salvaged ancestral houses from all over Luzon that were specifically evaluated and chosen based on their individual cultural, historical and architectural value and features.

The buildings at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar range in style from mansions to wooden stilt houses. With its rear ringed by the forests of nearby Mt. Natib and its front splashed by the South China Sea, these ancient wood, tile and stone structures were given a new lease in life, reincarnated as vacation houses, offices, restaurants, and hotel suites and facilities in Las Casas.

It had its beginnings in 2003 when real estate magnate and architect Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar, the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc., decided to open an estate just outside of his hometown of Balanga.  Ultimately settling upon a 400-hectacre tract of land near the fishing village of Bagac, he built a quaint manor home and a series of small cottages.

When he was young, Jerry, on his way to school, had memories of passing by the decaying mansions along F.R. Hidalgo Street in Quiapo.   In 2008, he was fatefully offered parts of a historic home from the Cagayan Valley. Subsequently, in an effort to restore it back to its former glory, he dismantled and reconstructed the building on his estate.

Our raft ((balsa) awaits ….

Later on, he was offered heritage homes that were being sold and he decided to transplant these endangered specimens of colonial heritage architecture to his beachfront property. Acquired and transported from varying locations across the country, each historic structure was meticulously dismantled from their original location before being reassembled and carefully restored inside the premises of the Las Casas Filipinas by a skilled group of architects. In cases where an authentic reconstruction was not possible, materials that were as close to the original were used to complete the project. Needless to say, each building’s legacy is as unique as its architecture.

However, this method of heritage conservation has been contentious among conservationists since they believed that their original communities could have benefitted from the structures had they been restored on site. The heritage park’s proponent Gerry Acuzar claimed that he went with the method in order to save the structures from decay and neglect.

While the estate remained private, many heard about what he was doing and wanted to see his reconstructed heritage houses. Seein an opportunity to make the location accessible to the public, Acuzar continued financing his work in restoring the heritage houses. As Acuzar’s team of artisans grew, the destination gradually expanded into 63 heritage homes and 34 structures built in the style of the historic houses on-site.

In March 2010, Acuzar debuted his private estate as a beach resort, opening it to the public as the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and placing it under the management of Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corporation.  It has since established itself as one of the most luxurious holiday destinations in the world, every year hosting hundreds of enthusiastic cultural heritage visitors. In early 2020, due to community quarantine measures imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Las Casas Filipinas temporarily closed but eventually reopened in July 2020.

The Umangol River

The work accomplished by Acuzar and his team had earned the resort great praise. In 2021, the heritage park was lauded and recognized for its preservation efforts and their continued stewardship by the Department of Tourism, under Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.  That same year, Historic Hotels Worldwide also bestowed the resort with its Award of Excellence for “Best Historic Hotel in Asia/Pacific.” Since 2017, this fantastic historic resort has been a member of Historic Hotels of America.

View of Casa New Manila across the Umangol River

We first registered ourselves at Casa New Manila, an American-era house built in 1926 by Italian-American Joseph Francisco.  It once stood at Balete Drive for 90 years and was bounded by Espana Extn. (now E. Rodriguez Ave.) and Campanilla, Sampaguita and Ilang-Ilang Sts..  It was later bought by Manuel Alcuas y Tuazon and Rosario Araneta y Zaragoza, scions from two prominent families in Manila. It had wide open verandas (where we had scenic views of the Umagol River and parts of the resort), extended eaves and its original fireplace.  From here, we were to tour the resort by raft.

La Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: Brgy. Ibaba, Bagac, 2107 Bataan. Tel: (632) 8833-3333 local 116-117.  Mobile number: (0917) 872-9361. E-mail: reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com. Website: www.lascasasfilipinas.com. Coordinates:  14°36′09.6″N 120°23′06.9″E.

How to Get There: It is a three-hour drive from Manila via NLEx and SCTEx. There is a shuttle service plying the Manila-Bataan route daily with New World Hotel Makati and Astoria Plaza as pickup and drop off points. For inquiries, call (63-2) 332-5338 and (63-2) 332-5286. The resort is accessible from the southeast through a two-lane road from the poblacion of Bagac.

Vancouver Chinatown (British Columbia, Canada)

Vancouver Chinatown, Canada’s largest

On our 35th day in Vancouver, Jandy and I returned (the first was in August 10 when we visited the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden and Park) to Vancouver Chinatown, Canada‘s largest Chinatown, which is home to important cultural heritage assets and many community organizations with deep historical roots in Vancouver and Canada.

Check out “Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden and Park

Across 130 years of change, the district, one of the most significant urban heritage sites in Canada, has experienced recent decline as newer members of Vancouver’s Chinese community dispersed to other parts of the metropolitan area.  However, it still maintains a strong community and cultural identity.

Jandy, Kyle and Grace at Vancouver Chinatown

Centered around Pender Street, this popular tourist attraction is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America.  Its approximate borders, as designated by the City of Vancouver, are the alley between Pender and Hastings Streets, Georgia Street, Gore Avenue and Taylor Street.  Unofficially, the area extends well into the rest of the Downtown Eastside.

East Pender Street

The principal areas of commercial activity are Main, Pender and Keefer Streets. Chinatown is surrounded by Gastown to the north, the Downtown financial and central business districts to the west, the Georgia Viaduct and the False Creek inlet to the south, the Downtown Eastside and the remnant of old Japantown to the northeast, and the residential neighborhood of Strathcona to the southeast.

Due to the large ethnic Chinese presence in Vancouver (especially represented by mostly Cantonese-speaking multi-generation Chinese Canadians and first-generation immigrants from Hong Kong), the city has been referred to as “Hongcouver.”  In recent years, however, most immigration has been Mandarin-speaking residents from Mainland China.

In 2011, the neighborhood was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.  Many of the substantial buildings here were built in a distinct “Chinatown architectural style,” with vertical proportions, four storeys (with one or more of the upper floors featuring recessed balconies and others fully glazed) and with a classical metal cornice.

Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate

Our tour of Chinatown began when we entered the Chinatown Millennium Gate which straddles Pender Street, near the intersection with Taylor Street.  It marks the western boundary of Chinatown.  Designed by local architect Joe Y. Wai (1940–2017), whose work and contribution can be seen throughout Chinatown.

One of two guardian lions at the gate

The gate was approved on September 20, 2001 and erected in 2002 at the same site as a temporary wooden arch built to celebrate the 1901 royal tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. The Millennium Gate recalls gates you may find at the entrances to villages in southern China. On the eastern face are Chinese characters which read “Remember the past and look forward to the future.”

Past the gate, at the right, is the Sam Kee Building (8 West Pender Street) credited, by the Guiness Book of World Records, as “The world’s shallowest (not the narrowest) freestanding building in the world.” The building’s namesake, the Sam Kee Company, was run by successful business leader Chang Toy, one of the wealthier merchants in turn-of-the-20th-century Chinatown.

Sam Kee Building

One of the largest Chinese merchant firms in Vancouver, the company, established in 1888, manufactured charcoal, operated a herring saltery in Nanaimo and contracted Chinese labor to various industries. It also imported and exported food products to and from China, served as agents for the Blue Funnel Steamship Line and possessed sizable real estate holdings throughout Greater Vancouver.

The narrow 1.8 m.(6 ft.) side of the building

In 1903, Chang Toy bought the standard-sized lot for the building. The lot was the previous home to Shanghai Alley, an early Vancouver red light district which collaboratively hosted 105 brothels with Canton Alley. However, in 1912 the city widened Pender Street, expropriating (which Toy’s lawyers negotiated a fair market price) all but 6 ft. of the Pender Street side of the lot. In 1913, he hired architects Bryan and Gillam to design this narrow steel-framed free-standing building for offices, business and bath houses on the remaining narrow 6-ft. strip, costing just $8,000 to erect.

View of the room at the narrow side of the building

To maximize use of the property, the building basement (such basements in Vancouver were once common and zoned as “areaways”), much wider than the rest of the building, extended under the sidewalk and housed public baths. On the ground floor were shops while offices were located above. In the 1980s, the building was rehabilitated for Jack Chow and completed in 1986. Designed by Soren Rasmussen Architect, the glass prisms that were set in a tight grid across the sidewalk to light the basement, were replaced with modern glass.

Chinatown Heritage Alley (Shanghai Alley)

At the end of Shanghai Alley (or Chinatown Heritage Alley), near West Pender Street, is the Allan Yap Circle.  Here, hangs a replica Western Han Dynasty bell, a gift to Vancouver from sister city Guangzhou and a symbol of the historic connection between the two cities and their urban settlements, which was dedicated on June 26, 2001.

Allan Yap Circle

Also on this corner is S.U.C.C.E.S.S., created in Vancouver in 1973 to assist new Canadians of Chinese descent to overcome language and cultural barriers. The organization is now one of BC’s largest social services organizations with locations also in Taiwan and Korea.

Across the Sam Kee Building is the Chinese Freemasons Building (3-9 West Pender Street).  Originally the site of a Methodist church (in 1888, the first to minister to the Chinese community in Vancouver) from 1889 until 1907 when the Chee Kung Tong (a traditional Chinese fraternal organization which provided welfare assistance to the earliest Chinese immigrants during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858) constructed the current building. In 1920, the organization adopted the English name the Chinese Freemasons in order to forge links with European Freemasonry.

Chinese Freemasons Building

Like many overseas organizations, it was deeply involved in Chinese politics. The building was even mortgaged to help fund Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s (whose efforts the Freemasons supported to bring democracy to China) 1911 rebellion. The building also served as the original home of the successful business, Modernize Tailors, one of many tailors (a profession available to Chinese Canadians in an era of employment restrictions in the area). After a fire in 1975, the building was repaired and, in the early 2000s, a careful restoration was completed by Joe Wai for the Wong family.

Facing the Freemason Building is the two-storey, brick Chinese Times Building (1 East Pender Street).  Commissioned by successful businessman and community leader Yip Sang, it was designed in 1901 by architect W.T. Whiteway. From the 1930s to 1990s, the building was home to The Chinese Times, an important source for local and Chinese political news, managed by the Chinese Freemasons.

Chinese Times Building

When the newspaper moved in, a mezzanine floor was added to accommodate the typesetters who used the 5,000 different Chinese characters to create each edition. Since the typesetters sat all day, the ceiling is only 6 ft. high.  Through the ground floor windows, the printing presses could be viewed and men gathered to read the paper pasted to the Carrall Street wall.

Around the corner, from Sam Kee Building, is the Lim Sai Hor (Kow Mok) Benevolent Association Building (525-531 Carrall Street).  The earliest surviving association building, it was constructed in 1903 for the Chinese Empire Reform Association (focusing to bring about political reform in China, its members included Chang Toy, Yip Sang and Alexander Won Cumyow, the first person of Chinese descent born in Canada), the most influential association in Chinatown at the time. At its height (it faded with the fall of the Qing Empire and the emergence of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen-led republic in 1911), the building housed a school and published a newspaper.

Lim Sai Hor Kow Mock Benevolent Association Building

In 1926, the newly formed Lim Sai Hor (Kow Mok) Association rented the space and, in 1945, bought the building to serve as headquarters for its members (defined by the common surname Lim or Lam). In 2017, a rehabilitation project restored the exterior balcony details, lighting and other distinctive features that reflect the exchange between China and Canada, influencing the traditional village house style and blending it with modern western design trends. The use of green as an accent color in the interior and exterior is a nod to the members’ surname which means “forest.” The building also houses an ancestral altar, built in 1993 and used by society members.

The four-storey, brick Ming Wo Building, at 23 East Pender Street, was designed by W.H. Chow, the only identified Chinese-Canadian architect practicing at the time, and built in 1913 for Wong Soon King, a real estate developer and co-founder of the Chinese Board of Trade

In 1917, opened as Ming Wo Hardware store, making it the oldest retail outlet in Chinatown and one of the oldest in the city. The company was founded by Wong Chew Lip, who moved to Canada from Kwong Chow (Canton) in southern China about 1908.  The Wong Chew Lip family descendants lived above the store. The company supplied Chinatown’s businesses and evolved into a restaurant supply business that has numerous cookware stores in Metro Vancouver.

Ming Wo Building

The use of space within the building conforms to the representative pattern in Chinatown.  On the ground floor are the retail space while on the upper floors are offices, meeting rooms and small residential rooms designed to accommodate “married bachelors.” In the first third of the twentieth century, organizational tenants included the Kong Chow Benevolent Association and the Hong Kong Club.

Yue Shan Society Building

Further along East Pender Street is the three-storey, brick Yue Shan Society Building (33-39 East Pender Street).  Designed in 1920 by architect W.H. Chow (who also designed many others for the community from 1908 to 1922), it became home, in 1943, to the Yue Shan Society, an organization formed in 1894 for people from Poon Yue County near Guangzhou. The Society also owns the two-storey brick Hon Hsing Athletic Association Building to the right (dating to 1889) and the three-storey residential building at the rear of the property facing Market Alley.

Wong’s Benevolent Association/Hon Hsing Athletic Club Building

The Wong’s Benevolent Association/Hon Hsing Athletic Club Building, at 29 East Pender Street, was designed by architect R.J. MacDonald and built 1910 for the Wong’s Benevolent Association.  It is home to the Hon Hsing Athletic Club, a Chinese martial arts (a crucial element of intangible cultural heritage in Chinatown and a fundamental part of the performance of the lion dances that anchor the annual Chinese New Year Parade) school established in 1938.

Wing Sang Company Building

The two-storey, brick Wing Sang Building, at 51 East Pender Street, part of the Yip family complex, is the oldest (built in 1889) standing building in Chinatown.  It served as the office and ticket agency of Vancouver businessman Yip Sang (instrumental in a number of social endeavors, including bringing the CBA to Vancouver and establishing a Chinese hospital, and he was a lifetime governor of the Vancouver General Hospital).

Founded in 1888, the Wing Sang Company was engaged in a variety of enterprises including labor contracting and a trans-Pacific import and export business, and was the Canadian Pacific steamship ticket agency for travel to China. The door, on the second floor, opened to the upstairs warehouse (goods were hoisted in and out through that door). In 1901, the complex grew to accommodate a growing family and business with an expansion on top and besides the original building. The family residence was located at the upper floors while the ground floor was home to a variety of businesses, including a saloon and a cigar store. In 1912 a six-storey building, facing Market Alley, was added to the complex to accommodate the growing extended family. Today, this building houses offices and the Rennie Museum.

The Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver (CBA) Building, at 104 -108 East Pender Street, was built in 1909 by Vancouver’s branch of the CBA (formed in 1895). Its architectural style, a good example of the influences from southern China, features recessed balconies, ornate ironwork and decorative tiles. .

Wah Chong Family (1884)

Snapshots of History, a three-panel mural that decorates the side of a building at 490 Columbia Street (northwest corner of Pender & Columbia), was installed in 2010 by Shu Ren Cheng. One panel depicts the 1884 Goon family.

Silk Merchant (1905)

Men in Barbershop (1936)

The other two panels of the mural feature a reproduction of a 1905 photo of a silk merchant in Chinatown and a rendering of a 1936 photo of men sitting outside a barber shop at Carrall and Pender.

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives

The Chinese Cultural Centre Museum & Archives, at 555 Columbia Street, provides a home for Chinese heritage and culture. A competition-winning design by James K.M. Cheng Architects and Romses Kwan & Associates, the concrete building, built in 1986, incorporates the elements of traditional Chinese post and beam architecture. The Museum and Archives building, built in 1998 as the home to the Chinese Canadian Military Museum, was designed by Joe Wai in a style inspired by the Ming Dynasty, with its flared eaves, screened windows and tile roof.

The Chinese Railroad Workers and Chinese Veterans Memorial, at the Chinatown Memorial Plaza, at the northeast corner of Keefer Street and Columbia Street, recognizes those who built the Rocky Mountain and Fraser Canyon portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-1885) and those who fought in World War II (1939-1945). On Remembrance Day, a ceremony for Chinese Canadian veterans takes place at the site.

China Gate

The China Gate, next to the Chinese Cultural Centre, facing Pender Street, near the intersection with Carrall Street, was donated to the City of Vancouver by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and was originally on display during the Expo 86 world’s fair. After being displayed at its current location for almost 20 years, the gate was rebuilt and received a major renovation of its façade employing stone and steel. Funding for the renovation came from government and private sources.  On October 2005, during the visit of Guangdong governor Huang Huahua, the renovated gate was unveiled.

Wong’s Benevolent Association (Mon Keang School)

Back at East Pender Street is the Wong’s Benevolent Association (Mon Keang School) Building, at 121 East Pender Street.  Originally a two-storey building developed in 1908 by Loo Gee Wing, in 1921, it became the headquarters for Wong’s Benevolent Association, a newly amalgamated association that was formed out of three existing organizations, who had the top floor removed and replaced with two new storeys designed by architects G.L. Southwell and J.A. Radford.

In 1925, the Mon Keang School, teaching the Chinese language and customs to the tousang (children born in Canada to Chinese parents) was established on the second floor. In 1947, after the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act and the reunification of many families, the school began offering the first high-school level Chinese classes in Canada. Today, Saturday morning Cantonese classes are again offered in the school room.

Mah Society of Canada Building

The Mah Society of Canada Building, at 137-139 East Pender Street, was constructed in 1913 with ground floor retail and three floors of rental rooms. In 1921, the Mah Society purchased this building for the purpose of mutual assistance for people with the family name Mah or Ma (to this day, people with this surname are invited to stay here if they don’t have a place to live or if they need introductions for where to find work), providing the society with a steady revenue stream.

An extra floor was added for an assembly hall as well as lounge and socializing space for residents. In 2017, the society undertook an extensive restoration and upgrade.  New windows were added to match the originals and the elaborate cornice, with its lanterns, and the restaurant’s storefront were reinstated. The Mah Society of North America’s building continues to provide much needed affordable housing in the neighborhood.

The Chin Wing Chun Tong Society of Canada Building, at 158-160 East Pender Street, was designed by R.A. McKenzie for the society (popularly known as the Chan Society) in 1925.  Its impressive assembly room follows the Arts and Crafts style. Today, a faithful recreation of the original 1950s neon sign for the Sai Woo Chop Suey restaurant (which operated here from 1925 to 1959) advertises the modern reincarnation of the restaurant.

May Wah Hotel

The May Wah Hotel, at 254-262 East Pender Street, with its impressive classical pilasters designed by W.F. Gardiner, was started in 1913 and opened in 1915 as the Loyal Hotel. After four name changes, it was renamed the May Wah in 1980. More than 100 low-income seniors, mostly women, as well as a few businesses call the single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel home. Today, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation operates the building as affordable and seniors housing for the neighborhood.

Kuomintang Building

Seemingly orphaned on the corner but the other side of Gore Avenue (529 Gore Avenue) is the Kuomintang Building, once the site of society buildings and wholesale grocers and built in 1920 by W.E. Sproat for the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist League of Canada). The design once featured an open balcony on the Gore Avenue façade, and a corner pagoda on the roof. During a restoration in the 1980s, the balconies were closed. The fictional American Steam Cleaners was located in the Kuomintang Building.

The Royal Bank of Canada Building, at 400 Main Street (Westminster Avenue until 1910) cor. Hastings Street, was built around 1907 as the East End Branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. In 1947, the building was extended east along Hastings Street to the lane to designs by the Royal Bank’s Montreal-based former chief architect, S.G. Davenport. In 1975, an addition was built to the south along Main Street (on the site of the former Merchants Bank).

Royal Bank Building

An early use of reinforced concrete for the structural frame, it was faced with cut ashlar stone on both principal elevations. A good example of Beaux-Arts Classicism, its façade features Classical Ionic columns along Main Street, pilasters along Hastings Street, a continuous entablature above the columns (including a frieze and cornice), arched ground-floor windows and rectangular second-floor windows.

Carnegie Public Library

Across is the Romanesque Revival-style Carnegie Public Library (410 Main Street cor. Hastings Street). One of the many Carnegie Free Libraries built with money donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it was Vancouver’s main library from its official opening in 1903 until 1957, when a new library was built on Burrard St. The building also operated as the Vancouver Museum. The building has a curved staircase within the portico and stained-glass windows with panels commemorating William Shakespeare, John Milton, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Sir Thomas Moore

Bank of Montreal Building

The Bank of Montreal Building, at 601 Main Street cor. Broadway Street, was built in 1929 and was designed by architects J. J. Honeyman and George Curtis – partners who had ties to the bank and who were responsible for designing many of its branches in Vancouver during the 1920s and 30s. Built with stone and yellow or brownish bricks from the Clayburn Brick Plant in Abbotsford, British Columbia, its small size and single-storey stature would be emblematic of the bank’s attempt to create an image.

Chinatown: VancouverBritish Columbia.

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building (British Columbia, Canada)

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building

The three-storey, grand Former Vancouver Law Courts Building, situated on a city block bounded by Georgia, Howe, Hornby and Robson Streets, is a good example of Neo-Classical design in the Beaux-Art tradition, widely promoted for public buildings in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Replacing the previous courthouse at Victory Square, it was designed by noted Victoria architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury (responsible for many prominent public buildings in British Columbia including the Legislative Building in Victoria), after winning a design competition in 1905.  Construction began in 1906 and the provincial courthouse,containing 18 courtrooms,was opened in the fall of 1911, at which time it was praised as the finest building of its kind in Canada.

Check out “”Legislative Assembly of British Columbia”

By 1914, the city had outgrown the original building and a large new wing, connected to the main building by an enclosed two-storey corridor, was added to the western side of the building according to the 1912 designs of Thomas Hooper. It operated as such until 1979 when it was decided that the building could no longer accommodate the needs of the court and the decision was made to construct new facilities.

Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson was commissioned to design the new Law Courts House,located across the street south of the building,and to convert the former Court House into the Vancouver Art Gallery.In 1980, the building was designated as the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada.

Entrance to Vancouver Art Gallery

Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated “A” heritage structures by the municipal government. As a heritage site, it still retains the original judges’ benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

The massive staircase

The building continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia, although the Vancouver Art Gallery occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974 who, in turn, leases the building from the provincial government.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery

One of two granite guardian lions

The building consists of three parts with two wings on west and east facades faced with inset Ionic columns flanking a massive projecting central pediment. The latter features an imposing formal portico supported by four columns and surmounted by a flat roof and a copper-clad central dome(with four semicircular occuli) on an elevated base.

On the north and south facades are granite pilasters. Rusticated Nelson Island granite cladding was used for the base section and smooth Haddington Island stone cladding for upper levels.Marble was imported from AlaskaTennessee and Vermont.

Throughout the facade are decorative stone and plaster scrollwork with acanthus leaf, garland and wreath motifs and stone balustrades along the roof line.Some of the recessed and symmetrical fenestration have protruding granite sills and canopies.Cast iron grates are found above the foundation. Also on the west and east facades are massive granite stair entrances. The twin, ca. 1910 granite lions, on pedestals, symbolize British justice.

Rotunda

 

The original interior layout features a twinned, marble clad staircase with ornamental wrought iron balustrades; a central rotunda, beneath the dome on the mezzanine level, with a series of two-storey arcades; terrazzo flooring in fan and Greek key motif;tapered marble columns on the mezzanine level;plaster egg and dart,garland and wreath motifs on the ceilings, cornices and walls; British Columbia fir and oak for the paneling,cornices, wainscoting and architraves; and British Columbia and Alaskan marble for foyer, floors, baseboards, vestibule halls, stairs and risers.

Marble staircase

Original signs identifying “OFFICES,” “LAND REGISTRY,” “POLICE” (with accompanying “Sheriff” signage) are still incised into offices on the north and south first floor level.

The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protest rallies, serving as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver’s Critical Mass, as well as flash mobs, the Zombie Walk, pro-marijuana rallies and numerous environmental demonstrations.

Dome and oculus

The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of the building are also popular gathering spots for protest rallies. In the summertime, the Georgia Street side is also a popular place for people to relax or socialize.

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building: 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6z 2E1, Canada.

Space Needle (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)

Seattle’s Space Needle

From Pike Place, Val drove Danny and I to the Seattle Center, home to Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and the Space Needle in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.  It had already stopped raining when we arrived and the sun was again shining.  We didn’t have time to explore the first two but Danny and I were excited to go up the open-air observation deck of the Space Needle 160 m.(520 ft.) above ground, our first time to do so.  Val had done this a couple of times, so he just offered to wait for us till we returned.

Check out “Pike Place”

The author (right) with friend Val Salgado with the Space Needle in the background

This observation tower, a designated a Seattle landmark, is considered to be an icon of the city.  Unlike many other similar structures (such as the CN Tower in Toronto), the Space Needle is not used for broadcasting purposes.The Space Needle was, upon completion by Howard S. Wright Construction Co., the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, replacing the Smith Tower in downtown Seattle as the tallest building west of the Mississippi since 1914.Today, it is dwarfed by other structures along the Seattle skyline, among them the 295 m. (967 ft.) high Columbia Center.

The author and Danny Macaventa

The Space Needle is 184 m.(605 ft.) high, 42 m.(138 ft.) wide and weighs 8,660 metric tons (9,550 short tons).  It was built to withstand wind speeds of up to 320 kms./hr. (200 mph), double the requirements in the building code of 1962. As the Space Needle sways only 25 mm.(1 in.) per 16 kms./hr.(10 mph) of wind speed, it can also be made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds.

The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of local architect John Graham‘s concept of a flying saucer (the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck)and the sketch (on a napkin) of Edward E. Carlson (president of a hotel company and chairman of the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle)which depicted a giant balloon tethered to the ground (the gently sloping base). The hourglass profile of the tower was introduced by Victor Steinbrueck.

Carlson,inspired by a recent visit to the Stuttgart Tower of Germany, also had an idea for erecting a tower with a restaurant at the World’s Fair. As a result of his success in designing Northgate Mall, architect John Graham soon became involved, altering the restaurant’s original design to a revolving restaurant, similar to his previous design of the La Ronde tower restaurant at the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Hawaii.From April 1, 1962, to April 1, 1982, the revolving restaurant was operated by Western International Hotels, of which Carlson was President, under a 20-year contract.

Built for the 1962 World’s Fair(which drew over 2.3 million visitors, with 20,000 people a day riding the elevators to the Observation Deck during the course of the Fair), the construction of the Space Needle was privately financed and built by the Pentagram Corporation (consisting of Bagley Wright, contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John GrahamNed Skinner, and Norton Clapp).

With time an issue, the construction team worked around the clockand the Space Needle was finished in less than one year. The Space Needle had to withstand earthquakes of up to 9.0 magnitude (as strong as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake) so its earthquake stability was ensured when a hole was dug 9.1 m.(30 ft.) deep and 37 m.(120 ft.) across, and 467 concrete trucks took one full day to fill it. The foundation weighs 5,310 metric tons (5,850 short tons), including 230 metric tons (250 short tons) or of reinforcing steel, the same as the above-ground structure. The structure is bolted to the foundation with 72 bolts, each one 9.1 m.(30 ft.) long.

A scaled model of the Space Needle at the Building the Marvel” Exhibit

The domed top, housing the top five levels (including the restaurants and observation deck), was perfectly balanced so that the restaurant could rotate with the help of one tiny electric motor, originally 0.8 KW (1.1 HP), later replaced with a 1.1 KW (1.5 HP) motor. A grand spiral entryway(shown in a 1962 Seattle World’s Fair poster), with 848 steps from the basement to the top of the observation deck leading to the elevator, was ultimately omitted from final building plans. For paint colors, Orbital Olive was used for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer and Galaxy Gold for the roof.

During the World’s Fair, an imitation carillon (using recordings of bells, rather than live bells),built by the Schulmerich Bells Company of Hatfield, Pennsylvania under the name “Carillon Americana,” was installed in the Space Needle and played several times a day. The instrument, recreating the sounds of 538 bells, was the largest in the world until it was eclipsed by a 732 bell instrument at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Another scaled model of the Space Needle at the ground floor Gift Shop

The operator’s console, located in the base of the Space Needle, was completely enclosed in glass to allow observation of the musician playing the instrument. Also capable of being played from a roll, like a player piano, the 44 stentors (speakers) of the carillon were located underneath the Needle’s disc at the 61 m.(200-ft.) level, and were audible over the entire fairgrounds and up to 16 kms. (10 mi.) away. After the fair’s close, the carillon was disassembled.  The “Carillon Americana,” featured on a 12-track LP record (called “Bells On High-Fi,” catalog number AR-8, produced by Americana Records, of Sellersville, Pennsylvania), was recorded in a studio and performed by noted carillonneur John Klein (1915-1981).

Here is the historical timeline of the Space Needle:

  • In 1961, investors discovered and bought (for $75,000) a suitable lot, measuring 37 by 37 m. (120 by 120 ft.), containing switching equipment for the fire and police alarm systems, for the proposed Space Needle site (it had no pre-selected site since it was not financed by the city and land had to be purchased within the fairgrounds).
  • In April 1962, the Space Needle was completed at a cost of $4.5 million.
  • On April 21, 1962, the last elevator car was installed the day before the Fair opened.
  • In 1963, a radio broadcast studio was built, used for morning broadcasts by Radio KING and its sister TV station KING-TV from July 1963 to May 1966, and KIRO Radio from 1966 to 1974, on the observation level of the Space Needle.
  • On March 27, 1964, as a result of the 9.2 earthquake in Alaska, the restaurant atop the Space Needle stopped rotating.
  • For six months in 1974, disc jockey Bobby Wooten of country music station KAYO-AM lived in an apartment built adjacent to the Space Needle’s broadcast studio, requiring a permit variance from the city government.
  • On March 4, 1974, Paul D. Baker committed suicide by jumping from the Space Needle, the first person to do so.
  • On May 25, 1974, Mary Lucille Wolf also jumped from the tower.
  • In 1977,Bagley Wright, Ned Skinner and Norton Clapp sold their interest to Howard S. Wright who now controls it under the name of Space Needle Corporation.
  • On July 5, 1978, in spite of the installation netting beneath and improved fencing around the observation deck, Dixie Reeder was able to commit suicide.
  • In 1982, the SkyLine level was added at the height of 30 m.(100 ft.).
  • In 1992, the University of Washington (UW) Huskies football team logo was painted at the tower after the team won the 1992 Rose Bowl.
  • In 1993, the elevators were replaced with new computerized versions that descend at a rate of 16 kms./hr. (10 mph).
  • In 1995, when the game show Wheel of Fortune taped episodes in Seattle, it was painted to resemble the titular wheel as part of an intro sequence with Vanna White.
  • On April 19, 1999, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board designated the tower a historic landmark.
  • On December 31, 1999, the Legacy Light or Skybeam, a powerful beam of light, was unveiled for the first time.
  • Between 1999 and 2000, renovations included the SkyCity restaurant, SpaceBase retail store, Skybeam installation, Observation Deck overhaul, lighting additions and repainting.
  • In 2000, renovations were completed at a cost ($21 million) approximately the same in inflated dollars as the original construction price.
  • In 2000, the Space Needle Restaurant (originally named Eye of the Needle) and the Emerald Suite, the two restaurants 150 m.(500 ft.) above the ground at the hovering disk of the Space Needle, were closed to make way for SkyCity, a larger restaurant that features Pacific Northwest cuisine.
  • In 2000, because of perceived terror threats against the structure after investigations into the foiled millennium bombing plots, public celebrations were canceled but the fireworks show was still performed.
  • In 2001, the 6.8 Mw Nisqually earthquake jolted the Space Needle enough for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms.
  • From September 11, 2001, to September 22, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, the Legacy Light (or Skybeam) remain lit for eleven days in a row.
  • In 2002, to promote tourism, a real estate consultant in Bellevue proposed the construction of five smaller replicas of the Space Needle around the city though official plans to build the proposed structures have not yet materialized.
  • On May 19, 2007, the Space Needle welcomed its 45 millionth visitor, Greg Novoa from California, who received a free trip for two to Paris.
  • In May 2008, since the opening of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle received its first professional deep cleaning by being pressure washed by Kärcher with water at a pressure of almost 2,611 psi (18,000 kPa) and a temperature of approximately 194 °F (90 °C). In consideration of the Seattle Center and the nearby Experience Music Project, no detergents were used and the cleaning was only done at night so that the Space Needle could stay open to the public.
  • In April 2012, as part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Needle was painted “Galaxy Gold”, which is more of an orangish color in practice. This is the same color used when the needle was originally constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair. This temporary makeover was only intended to last through the summer.
  • In the summer of 2017, a renovation of the top of the Space Needle, called the Century Project,began. An all-glass floor was added to the restaurant, the observation platform windows were replaced with floor-to-ceiling glass panels (to more closely match the 1962 original concept sketches) and the internal systems were upgraded and updated. The work, tocost $100 million in private funds provided by the Wright family (owners of the Space Needle),was scheduled to finish by June 2018. The designer is Olson Kundig Architects and the general contractor is Hoffman Construction Company. The rotating restaurant’s motor was replaced, the elevator capacity was increased by adding elevators or double-stacking them and,with the aim of achieving LEED Gold Certification, the energy efficiency of the building was improved. The temporary scaffold’s 13,000 kg.(28,000 lbs.), 4,148 sq. m. (4,650-sq. ft.) platform under the top structure, made by Safway Services (a company specializing in unique construction scaffolding),was assembled on the ground, and then lifted by cables 150 m.(500 ft.) from the ground to the underside of the structure, controlled by 12 operators standing on the platform as it was raised. So that the Space Needle was never completely shut down to the public, only one-sixth of the observation deck was closed at a time.
  • In August 2018, the Space Needle reopened as the Loupe, an indoor observation deck with a revolving glass floor that takes 45 mins. to do a full rotation. Two sets of stairs called the Oculus Stairs,named after the glass oculus at the base of the stairs where the Space Needle elevators can be seen ascending and descending,were added to connect the two new additional levels. A café, wine bar, more restrooms, and an additional accessibility elevator to the top observation deck were also added.
  • In 2020, the fireworks display was canceled because of high winds, with a laser light show being used at midnight instead.
  • In 2021, the fireworks show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced by a broadcast-only augmented realitypresentation on KING-TV.

 

The queue at the Mezzanine Level

The Space Needle, a visual symbol of Seattle and of the Pacific Northwest, has made numerous appearances in films (It Happened at the World’s Fair in 1962, The Parallax View in 1974, Sleepless in Seattle in 1993,Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999,  Chronicle in 2012), TV shows (FrasierGrey’s AnatomyDark AngelBill Nye the Science Guy, etc.), and other works of fiction, often being used in establishing shots as an economical means to tell the audience the setting is Seattle, and has been incorporated into the logos of NBAWNBAMLS, and NHL professional sports teams.

Queuing past the “Building the Marvel” Exhibit

After paying the admission fee, we joined the queue of visitors at the mezzanine level (overlooking the gift shop below) waiting for the three elevators (two of them high speed), which can each accommodate 25 people, to take us up the inside observation area.  As it was the summer month, there was a bit of a line as the number of visitors usually climbs to well over a thousand a day. While waiting for our turn, along the line was the “Building the Marvel Exhibit,” a custom exhibit installed in April 2016, of compelling images, interactive experiences, and fun and historical memorabilia that tells the story of how the Space Needle’s conception and construction.  There are also miniature replicas of the Needle, showing the construction’s progress, plus cool vintage advertisements, posters of the Words fair and clippings from magazine articles praising this architectural marvel.

Inside the 25-pax elevator

Once inside the elevator, it took us 42 seconds to reach the top, travelling at a rate of 10 mph (or 880 ft. per min.). Stepping out of the elevator into the inside observation area, we had awe-inspiring and dramatic views of the downtown Seattle skyline, front and center, with buildings shimmering in the sun.

The Inside Observation Area

Seamless floor-to-ceiling  glass walls gave us unobstructed, 360-degree sights of the region –  Lake Union, the Olympic and Cascade MountainsMount RainierMount Baker, the inky waters of Elliott Bay, the ever-popular Great Wheel along the waterfront, and various islands in glittering Puget Sound, with ferries floating around  On a clear day, the flat top of snow-capped Mt. St. Helens can be seen in the distance.

The Inside Observation Area

From the inside observation area, Danny and I stepped out of the door (one of 12) into the open observation deck which was already filled with tourists taking photos and selfies.  Here, we had a more unparalleled experience with a unique, uninhibited bird’s-eye view of the abovementioned landmarks, protected by a series of 11 ft. tall and 7 ft. wide glass panels (which replaced the old wire cages) starting at the floor and tilting outwards.  Lining the edge of the panels are new glass benches, following the angle of the transparent walls, designed at a slant, a perfect, jaw-dropping selfie spot that makes you feel like you are hanging in the air, floating above Seattle.

Danny and the author at the Open Observation Deck

On our way back down, an elevator attendant took the time to point out locations of interest to us, sharing some historical landmark facts and answering questions. Our elevator had windows where we could watch our rapid descent.  Soon the doors opened and we disembarked into the gigantic gift shop at the ground floor before exiting the building.  Every year on New Year’s Eve, the Space Needle celebrates with a fireworks show at midnight that is synchronized to music. Alberto Navarro, a fireworks artist from Bellevue, is the lead architect of the show, which is viewed by thousands from the Seattle Center grounds.

View of the city skyline

To honor national holidays and special occasions in Seattle, the Legacy Light (or Skybeam), derived from the official 1962 World’s Fair poster (which depicted such a light source although none was incorporated into the original design), is lit. Powered by lamps that total 85 million candela shining skyward from the top of the Space Needle, it was originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year but it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year as it is somewhat controversial because of the light pollution it creates.

View of Puget Sound

Since its opening, six (four of them part of an authorized promotion in 1996, withone of them got injured and broke a bone in her back while attempting the stunt) parachutists have leaped from the tower in a sport known as BASE jumping which is legal only with prior authorization (the other two jumped illegally and were arrested).

The Gift Shop

Seattle Needle: 400 Broad Street, SeattleWashington 98109. Tel: (20) 905-2100. E-mail: guestservice@spaceneedle.com. Website:  www.spaceneedle.com. General admission:: US435 – 39 (regular, ages 13 -64), US$30  -33 (senior, aged 65+) and US$26 – 29 (youth, ages 5 – 12).  Open daily, 10 AM to 9 PM (Sundays to Fridays) and 9 AM to 9 PM (Saturdays).  Coordinates: 47.6204°N 122.3491°W

Christ Church Cathedral (Vancouver, Canada)

Christ Church Cathedral

Just 650 m. from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is the gorgeous Christ Church Cathedral.  The second cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster of the Anglican Church of Canada, it is a daughter church of St. James’ Anglican Church.

Check out “Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

High rise buildings surround the cathedral

Set among high-rise buildings, Christ Church Cathedral is the Regimental Church of the Seaforth Highlanders and is in the process of being designated Regimental Church of the BC Regiment, Duke of Connaught’s Own. It is also the church at which the British royal family worships when in Vancouver.

Grace and Kyle

The author and Jandy

Here is the historical timeline of the cathedral:

  • On December 23, 1888, the first service was held, without a church building, at 720 Granville Street.
  • On February 14, 1889, a building committee was formed to collect the necessary funds for the erection of the church to be located on land bought from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). A key negotiator in acquiring the property is Henry John Cambie, chief engineer of CPR’s Pacific Division and people’s warden of the new church.
  • By October 1889, Christ Church’s basement was built
  • On October 6, 1889, the opening service was held for 52 parishioners.
  • By 1891, the CPR objected to the unfinished building that had quickly been nicknamed the root house. It was viewed an “eyesore” and the parishioners feared they would lose their location due to lack of funds to complete the building.
  • In 1892, the architect Robert Mackay Fripp submitted a proposal for completion of the church.
  • On July 28, 1894, after a financing scheme was developed by a parishioner, the cornerstone was finally laid.
  • On February 17, 1895, the church was dedicated.
  • In 1905, a balcony, covering the narthex area and containing a wood railing in a Gothic pattern, was added
  • By 1909, the first expansion was done.
  • By 1911, the first organ, which used a human blower hired at $5 per month, had already worn out and was replaced by the new Robert Hope-Jones Organ manufactured by Wurlitzer.
  • In 1920, electricity replaced candles for lighting.
  • In 1929, the Archbishop of New Westminster constituted Christ Church as the Cathedral Church of the diocese replacing Holy Trinity Cathedral located in the City of New Westminster.
  • In 1937, the bronze lanterns now in the church were installed at the nave.
  • In 1949, after many building alterations, the $30,000 Casavant Freres organ, constructed partially of recycled wood, surplus war surplus parts and remnants of the Wurlitzer, was installed. It had more than 2,700 pipes and a 600 lb. motor.
  • In 1971, the church membership voted to demolish the building and replace it with a hi-rise tower complex designed by Arthur Erickson. The redevelopment was opposed by the public.
  • In 1976, after much lobbying, the cathedral was named a Class A Heritage building in the municipality of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia.
  • In 1995, an eleven-year program of restoration and renewal was begun.
  • During the spring and fall of 2004, the Kenneth Jones tracker organ was installed.
  •  In 2004, the church was extensively upgraded and the original fir flooring, cedar tongue and groove ceiling and stained glass windows were restored.
  • In November 2016, a bell tower was inaugurated.

The Gothic Revival style, sandstone facade

The church, built in the Gothic Revival style (with Romanesque and Tudor details), has a granite and sandstone façade and is laid out in the classic Latin Cross plan.

The cathedral’s stunning interior

Its stunning interior, circumnavigated by wood wainscoting with a quatrefoil cornice, has a beautiful and spectacular hammer beam truss (in the style of English halls and churches dating back to the 1300s) ceiling made of cedar planking and ceiling beams.

The spectacular hammer beam truss and ceiling

Its 32 beautiful stained glass windows depict Christ-centered themes, famous people and World War I.

Christ the King and other scenes (Clayton and Bell, Buckinghamshire, England)

The floor was constructed out of old growth Douglas fir.  Wood arches and tracery details separate the side aisles from the nave.

Tree of Life (Susan Pointe)

The modern, semi-abstract “Tree of Life,” spanning 5 stained glass windows (the tallest is 19 ft. high) at the back of the church, was created, in brown tones, by aboriginal Musqueam artist Susan Pointe, executed by Yves Trudeau (of Studio One Glass Art) and dedicated on April 5, 2009.  It depicts salmon (in 4 of the panels) and waters at the base, leaves and trees in the central portion and mountain and birds above.

The Chancel Window (N.T. Lyon Co. Toronto)

Another three stained glass windows, of three disciples of Jesus Christ, were designed by the famous William Morris of England, the most celebrated champion of 19th century “Arts and Crafts” Movement.

The Crucifixion of Our Lord (John Bell and Sons, Bristol, England)

The open glass and steel bell tower, at the northeast side of the cathedral, has a zinc roof.  Its four church bells, cast in France, are rung daily at 8 AM and 6 PM and before church services.

The open glass and steel bell tower

The spire glass features a design by Canadian artist Sarah Hall.  A venue for musical performances, the church’s acoustics are phenomenal and the Choral Eucharist (10:30 AM) and Georgian Chant Services (9:30 PM) are performed every Sunday.

The author

The Celtic cross, which is found on both the cathedral’s exterior and interior, represents the roots of the Anglican Communion in the British Isles. The spindle whorl and the three salmon in the style of the Coast Salish Nation, represent the First People of Canada and the original inhabitants of the west coast.

The Celtic Cross

The Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P), in the center, are the initials of the words Christus Rex (Christ the King). The motto “I hold before you an open door” (Revelation 3:8) is the title of the first sermon preached by Rev. H. B. Hobson, the rector, in the cathedral on December 23, 1888.

The tracker organ designed by Kenneth Jones in Ireland

The beautiful and huge tracker organ, in the south gallery of the cathedral, was built in 2003 by Kenneth Jones in Bray, Ireland, and installed, over 10 days, in April 2004.  It is the first Christ Church Cathedral organ custom built to speak with optimum effect in the sanctuary. It comprises a three manual console and 2,500 pipes (1,700 salvaged from the Casavant Freres), wooden trackers and intricate parts sourced from all over Germany.

The fine, carved stone reredo, dedicated in 1923 as a World War I memorial, took almost two years to complete.  Depicted in this stone screen are St. Martin of Tours, St. Lawrence and St. John the Baptist.

Christ Church Cathedral: 690 Burrard Street , VancouverBritish Columbia V6C 2L1, Canada. Tel: +1 604-682-3848.  E-mail: reception@thecathedral.ca.  Website: www.thecathedral.ca. Open Mondays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4 PM.  Admission is free but donations are welcomed.  Coordinates: 49°17′03″N 123°07′13″W.

How to Get There: the cathedral, located right across the Burrard Skytrain Station, is located on the northeast corner of West Georgia Street, directly across from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in Downtown Vancouver.  It is also a 3-min walk from the Vancouver Art Gallery

Waterfront Station (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Waterfront Station

The stunningly grand and majestic, 6-storey, 146-m. (480-ft.) long Waterfront Station (Station Code: WF), located on Burrard Inlet, is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Vancouver. It is within walking distance or the vicinity of Vancouver’s historical Gastown district, Canada PlaceVancouver Convention CentreHarbour CentreSinclair Centre, the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre float plane terminal (approximately two blocks west of Canada Place), the heliport operated by Helijet, (adjacent to the SeaBus concourse, therefore allowing passengers to connect to Waterfront Station‘s main terminal building) and the downtown campuses for Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

The row of Ionic columns

The current Neo-Classical-style main station building, designed by Barott, Blackader and Webster (a Montreal architecture firm) and built by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), is CPR’s third station.  It replaced a smaller station, built in the 1890s and previously located at the foot of Granville, one block west, built in chateau-like “Railway Gothic” style like the CPR’s many railway hotels. Its symmetrical red-brick facade is dominated by a row of smooth, white limestone Ionic order columns which are repeated in the grand interior hall, flanking the perimeter of the space.

The Neo-Classical-style facade

The main hall features two large clocks facing each other high on the east and west walls while paintings depicting various scenic Canadian landscapes, by Adelaide Langford (wife of a CPR executive), line the walls above the columns.

One of two large clocks at the Main Hall

Rouge Kitchen & Wet Bar, on the street level, occupies the east wing. Other restaurants located within the station include A&W, Jugo Juice, La Prep, Subway, Starbucks and SKK Italy. On the upper floors, some rooms are occupied by business offices.

Rouge Kitchen & Wet Bar

Subway and Jugo Juice

The bronze statue of Angel of Victory, one of an originally identical trio (the other two angels are in Winnepeg and Montreal), at the front of the extreme east end of the building, was created by Couer de Lion MacCarthy (1881-1979) and was installed in 1921.

Angel of Victory (Couer de Lion MacCarthy)

A war memorial honoring CPR employees who were killed during World War I, it depicts an angel carrying a dead soldier to heaven.  At one time, she was holding s small wreath in her raised hand but, at some point, the wreath was broken and now she holds just a few leaves in her hand.  After World War II, the writing on the plaque at the base of the statue was added.

Historical Plaque

Here’s the historical timeline of the station:

  • On May 1912, the construction of Waterfront Station began
  • On August 1, 1914, right at the start of World War I, the station was opened as the Pacific terminus for the CPR’s transcontinental passenger trains to Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario.  Canadian soldiers, on their way to the war, departed on this depot.
  • In 1916, the paintings lining the walls above the columns were completed.
  • On May 29, 1939, residents welcomed King George VI and Queen Elizabeth here (British Columbia’s first visit by a reigning monarch)
  • In 1977, Waterfront Station‘s transformation into a public intermodal transit facility began.
  • In 1977, SeaBus began operating out of a purpose-built floating pier that was connected to the main terminal building via an overhead walkway above the CPR tracks.
  • In 1978, when Via Rail took over the passenger operations of the CPR and the Canadian National Railway, it continued using both railways’ stations in Vancouver
  • In 1979, Via Rail ceased using this CPR station when it consolidated its Vancouver operations at Pacific Central Station, the CN station near False Creek.
  • On October 27, 1979, the last scheduled Via Rail passenger train to use Waterfront Station departed, with 200 passengers (plus 50 train aficionados who tagged along to Mission), for Montreal, 15 mins. late.
  • In the early 1980s, the CPR’s passenger platform and some of its tracks were torn up to make way for the guideway of the original SkyTrain line (Expo Line).
  • On December 11, 1985, the Expo Line was opened.
  • During Expo 86, SkyTrain operated special shuttle trains between Waterfront Station and Stadium–Chinatown Station(then named Stadium station), connecting the Canadian Pavilion at Canada Place to the main Expo site along False Creek.
  • In the early 1990s, Royal SeaLink Express, a private ferry company, ran passenger ferries from a new dock on the west side of the SeaBus terminal to Victoria and Nanaimo  but ultimately folded.
  • In 1995, platforms were built adjacent to the SkyTrain station for the West Coast Express, which uses the existing CPR tracks. The platforms for the West Coast Express were built in the same location as the old CPR platforms.
  • In 2002, Millennium Line trains began to share tracks with the Expo Line at Waterfront Station.
  • In 2003, HarbourLynx began operating out of Royal Sealink’s old facility at the SeaBus terminal.
  • In 2006, following major engine problems with their only vessel, HarbourLynx folded as well.
  • In late 2016, an Expo Line branch to Production Way–University station was created in replacement of the Millennium Line service between VCC–Clark and Waterfront Station.
  • In 2009, the Canada Line opened
  • In 2018, as most Canada Line stations were built with only up escalators initially, TransLink announced that Waterfront Station‘s Canada Line platforms, as well as two other stations on the line located within Downtown Vancouver, would receive an accessibility upgrade which includes additional escalators.
  • In early 2019, construction began on the additional escalators
  • In December 2019, the installation of additional escalators was completed.
  • In 2020, work on replacing the escalators connecting to the Expo Line was started by TransLink.
  • For three weeks in June 2020, access to the Expo Line from Cordova Street was closed, forcing passengers to access the Expo Line from the Howe Street entrance. Because the construction blocked access to the elevators to the Expo Line platforms, a temporary shuttle bus service between the SeaBus terminal, the main concourse area, and Burrard Station was instated.

Ionic columns inside the main hall

Waterfront Station was one of the first stations to receive TransLink’s “T” signage (denoting a transit station).  Originally installed in the downtown core of Vancouver, this signage helped visitors during the 2010 Olympics as it made transit hubs easier to identify.

Waterfront Station serves as a common terminus point for both the Expo Line (through Vancouver to Northeast/South BurnabyNew Westminster and Surrey) and the Canada Line (through Vancouver to central Richmond and Vancouver International Airport). They have separate platforms which are accessible via the main station building, but require leaving the fare paid zone when transferring between other modes.

The SeaBus passenger ferry, to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, stops on the Vancouver side at Waterfront Station, near the Vancouver Convention Centre. Additionally, Waterfront Station  provides West Coast Express commuter rail (Port MoodyCoquitlamPort CoquitlamPitt MeadowsMaple Ridge and Mission) a connection to the SeaBus passenger ferry. The station is also accessible to various local, suburban, and express bus services provided by TransLink.

Escalator to Expo Line

Expo Line

Waterfront Station: 601 West Cordova St. (between Granville and Seymour Sts.), Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1G1, Canada. The station has also two street-level entrances – Howe Street to the west (for direct access to the Expo Line) and Granville Street to the south (for direct access to the Canada Line).  Coordinates: 49°17′09″N 123°06′42″W

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Vancouver)

Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Five days after our arrival in Vancouver, Grace, Jandy, Kyle and I had our first mass at the late 19th-century, 700-pax Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

Grace and Kyle making their way into the cathedral

Commonly known as Holy Rosary Cathedral, serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Located in the downtown area of the city, it is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register and is a legally protected building.

The cathedral’s French Gothic Revival style facade

Designed by architects Thomas Ennor Julian and H.J. Williams in the classic cruciform form (with narthex, nave, transepts and an apsidal chancel), it was constructed under the charge of R. P. Forshaw and Company and the church was completed in just 491 days. At the time it was finished, the building was praised as “the finest piece of architecture west of Toronto and north of San Francisco.”

The right side of the cathedral

The left side of the cathedral

Here’s the historical timeline of the cathedral:

  • In June 1885, the parish was established with Father Patrick Fay, the chaplain to Canadian Pacific Railway(CPR) workers, chosen as pastor.
  • In 1886, construction began for a wooden church
  • In 1888, the wooden church was completed the following year and blessed.
  • In 1890, the church was enlarged and a bell tower was added.
  • On July 16, 1899, the cornerstone for the new church was laid by Archbishop Adélard Langevin of Saint Boniface.
  • In the autumn of 1900, the cathedral’s pipe organ was inaugurated.
  • On October 21, 1900, the church’s seven bells were blessed
  • On December 8, 1900, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the new Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was opened and was blessed the day after by Archbishop Alexander Christie of Portland, Oregon.
  • In 1906, eight bells were reinstalled in the cathedral
  • In 1911, on Dominion Day, the church’s bells were rung, the first peal ever to be rung in Canada .
  • In 1916, the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral.
  • In February 1922, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for beloved local lifeguard and swim instructor Joe Fortes. The cathedral filled to capacity, with thousands of others braving the rain and cold weather to view the funeral procession on the streets of Vancouver.
  • In 1927, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), which administered the parish since 1893, left after difficulties arose from the mortgage agreement that had helped pay for the construction of the cathedral. This was coupled with the “growing manpower shortage” caused by a declining number of members joining the order.
  • In late 1932, the “tin scales” that covered spire of the taller steeple were cleaned and repaired, and the cross atop of it was repainted.
  • In 1936, it hosted an archdiocesan-level Eucharistic Congress, the first congress ever to be celebrated in Western Canada.
  • In 1939, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for Pope Pius XI.
  • On October 7, 1952, the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, a gunman entered the church and fired a round from his rifle at the altar. No one was hurt and he was arrested shortly after.
  • In April 1959, a minor tilt in the bell tower of the cathedral was detected probably due to the drilling and blasting of a nearby tunnel.
  • On October 3, 1953, the rite of consecration as a cathedral, officiated by the Archbishop of Vancouver William M. Duke, was held.  The subsequent solemn pontifical Mass was celebrated by Michael Harrington, the Bishop of Kamloops. Approximately 35 bishops from across Canada and the United States attended the event, which coincided with Duke’s golden and silver jubilees of his priestly ordination and consecration as a bishop, respectively.
  • In 1961, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for former Vancouver police commissioner William Cameron Murphy.
  • In the 1960s, after the Second Vatican Council, the reordering of the sanctuary took place.
  • In 1967, an interfaith requiem was held at the cathedral for former Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier.
  • In September 1981, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for internationally-acclaimed actor Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh
  • On September 19, 1984, Pope John Paul II visited the church as part of his pastoral visit to Canada. Refurbishing took place prior to his visit.
  • From 1995 to 1997, the cathedral was completely re-roofed, with zinc being utilized on the roof to resemble slate.
  • In 1999, the organ was dismantled and transported to Casavant Frères in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec for a two-year restoration.
  • In Easter of 2000, the rehabilitated pipe organ was blessed. That same year, an organ concert series was hosted at the cathedral for the first time.
  • In late September 2001, the cathedral became the first place in Canada to host the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux during her reliquary’s three-month-long tour of the country.
  • In December 2002, some of the carpeting was removed and replaced with Italian ceramic tiles.
  • From 2004 to 2006, the inside of the church was repainted.
  • On April 1, 2005, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for Pope John Paul II.
  • On March 23, 2008, during an Easter Sunday Mass at the cathedral, First Nations protesters disrupted the mass by demonstrating on the outside steps. They ordered the Church to “get off native land” and demanded that they disclose the burial locations of children who died in residential schools.
  • On February 12, 2010, the cathedral’s bells were rung during the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
  • On October 30, 2011, a splinter group from the Occupy Vancouver movement marched to the cathedral from the Vancouver Art Gallery, attempting to enter the cathedral and occupy it but were thwarted by Vancouver police officers and Knights of Columbus.
  • In the spring of 2017, the copy of the bronze sculpture Homeless Jesus by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz was installed in front of the cathedral.
  • In 2018, new light fixtures, pews and an upgraded sound system were added.
  • On March 22, 2020, as a result of the Archdiocese suspending all public masses starting from March 21 onwards, in response to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, Sunday Mass was celebrated without a congregation for the first time in the cathedral’s history.
  • In June 2020, public masses at the cathedral resumed with capacity reduced to 50 people per Mass in order to adhere to the physical distancing requirements set out by the provincial health authorities.

The 49 m. (161 ft.) long, 32 m. (104 ft.) wide (across the transepts) and 19 m. (62 ft.) high (from floor to ceiling) cathedral, built in the French Gothic revival style, has been described as resembling the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. Cruciform, in the shape of the Latin cross, it is 19 m. (62 ft.) across the nave and the aisles.

The taller bell tower

Its foundations were made of granite while its exterior walls were built from sandstone originating from Gabriola Island.  The cathedral’s “most prominent visual feature” is its two asymmetric bell towers. The taller, 66 m.  (217 ft.) high steeple was originally designed to have flying buttresses at the bottom.

The cathedral interior looking towards the main altar

The cathedral interior looking towards the choir loft

The nave arcades at the interior which, in turn support a Gothic tunnel vault, are supported by Norman columns made from highly polished, red Scagliola marble. Non-structural ribs decorate the vault, with simple molding accenting the intermediate ribs.

Left side aisle

Right side aisle

The cathedra, situated at the center of the sanctuary, is surrounded by a Gothic-style, oak altar-piece, with richly detailed gold foliage and angels set in relief, and two towers of reredos decked with delicately carved angels carrying torches, thuribles and sacred books.

Left transept

Right transept

 

The cathedral originally had seven bells (representing the sacraments) cast at the Fonderie Paccard in Annecy-le-VieuxSavoyFrance. However, when they were found to be out of tune, they were sent to a foundry near Bristol where eight bells were made to complete an entire octave when rung.

Baptismal Font

 

Two of the14 Stations of the Cross

Statue of the Pieta

Operating on change ringing, they are one of the few peal of bells hung in the English style found in North America, and one of three in British Columbia (the others are located at Westminster Abbey in Mission and Victoria‘s Christ Church Cathedral).

Grace and Kyle

The cathedral’s pipe organ, manufactured by the Karn–Warren Organ Company in Woodstock, Ontario, is the “oldest romantic-style organ” in the province “remaining in its original location.” An organ concert is held at the cathedral annually since 2000.  One of the most beautiful organs in the West Coast, it has three manuals, 4 divisions, 42 stops, 51 ranks and 2,899 pipes.

The cathedral’s pipe organ

Of the current 21 stained glass windows (documented by the Institute for Stained Glass in Canada) at the cathedral, the oldest is The Church Triumphant with the Risen Christ among Saints and Martyrs, on the east wall of the sanctuary, next to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin.

Stained glass depicting The Church Triumphant with the Risen Christ among Saints and Martyrs

The most renowned ones are the five windows made by Canadian artist Guido Nincheri whose work can be found in over 60 churches in North America.

Stained glass depicting Jesus with the Children (Guido Nincheri)

They depict Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, on the north side of the west transept; the Baptism of Our Lord (completed in January 1954), Jesus Healing the Sick, Jesus with the Children and the Assumption (completed and shipped out of the Nincheri studios in November 1953 and installed later that year). Started in 1941, it would take 13 years for the work on the stained glass to be completed.

Stained glass depicting The Assumption (Guido Nincheri)

The stained glass depicting Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was featured on Canada Post‘s annual Christmas stamp in 1997.

Stained glass depicting Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Guido Nincheri)

In front of the cathedral is a copy of the bronze sculpture Homeless Jesus by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. Showing a life-size statue of a man with a long overcoat lying on a park bench, his face is hidden underneath a hood and his bare feet with stigmata.

The author beside the copy of the bronze sculpture of the Homeless Jesus by Candian artist Timothy Schmalz

According to Stanley Galvon (the rector at the time), the statue is intended to be “a catalyst to make people think about” the city’s homelessness crisis.

Jandy

Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary: 646 Richards cor. Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 3A3.  Tel: (604) 682-6774. Fax: (604) 331-8406.  E-mail: office@vancouvercathedral.org. Website: www.holyrosarycathedral.org. Sunday mass schedule: 8 AM, 9:30 AM, 11 AM, 12:30 PM, 5 PM.

How to Get There: by Metro, take the Expo Line to Granville Station or the Canada Line to Waterfront Station.  Both are a 5 minute walk away.

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne

The Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne, also known as  St. Anne Parish Church or Santa Ana Church, is situated next to the Taguig River and across Plaza Quezon, where the statue of the late Manuel L. Quezon was erected when he was still serving as President of the PhilippinesSaint Anne is the patroness of the church.

The church complex. On the left is the convent

This church, as well as the convent, was first built, in 1848, of nipa and bamboo by Fr. Diego Alvarez, O.S.A..  The construction of the present concrete church, from 1609 to 1611, was supervised by Fr. Hernando Guerrero, O.S.A..

The rightside of the church. On the foreground are statues of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod

During the November 30, 1645 Luzon earthquake, both were considerably damaged and later repaired.  Both survived the June 3, 1863 earthquake but the June 20, 1880 earthquake cracked the bell tower sending its bell crashing on the church roof, destroying the choir loft and part of its framework.

Bas-relief of St. Anne

In 1881, the reconstruction of both buildings was started by Fr. Patricio Martin, O.S.A.  and, in 1885, continued by his successor Fr. Guillermo Diaz, O.S.A..   In 1898, the buildings were occupied by American soldiers and used as their headquarters.  Both were restored by Filipino secular Frs. Vicente Estacio (1905 to 1916, he oversaw the installation of the church’s sawali ceiling) and Gerardo Maximo (1938 to 1951).  The fence was left unfinished.

The four-storey bell tower

In August 1943, during the Second World War, hundreds of male inhabitants were incarcerated by the Imperial Japanese, for a number of days, inside the church. In 1987, in preparation for the parish’s 400th anniversary, more improvements in the edifice were undertaken by Msgr. Augurio Juta and Msgr. Emmanuel Sunga.

Historical plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in 1987

On July 25, 1987, a historical marker was installed on the church facade by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The church was also declared and recognized by the government as a cultural property based on the official list provided by the National Commission for Culture and the ArtsNational Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines.

The church interior

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s barn-style Baroque facade has flat pilasters, a first level with a centrally located arched main entrance flanked by statued niches; a second level with a centrally located rose window flanked by semicircular arched windows and a triangular pediment with a centrally located statued niche.

The four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has a two-storey square base (with a bas-relief of St. Anne), an octagonal third storey (with semicircular arched windows) and a round upper storey topped by a dome.

The choir loft area

The church houses the Museo de Sta. Ana which contains religious relics and a repository of artifacts detailing the rich religious culture and history of Taguig since 1857.

The main altar area

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne: 1 Liwayway St., Brgy. Sta. Ana, Taguig City 1637, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 8642-4434.  Fax: (632) 8643-5204.

 

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light (Cainta, Rizal)

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light

The only church in our bisita iglesia outside of Metro Manila was the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Light in Cainta. When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

Check out “Church of San Felipe Neri” and “Immaculate Concepton Cathedral

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

Porte cochere

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

The four-storey bell tower

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

NHI historical plaque

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The church interior

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

The main altar and retablo

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Te choir loft

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old church bells

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry. Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Parola ng Panampalataya

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors. There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Statue of the Crucifixion

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, RizalView Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light (Cainta, Rizal)

Church of Our Lady of the Light

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

NHI plaque

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

Church transept

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The four-storey bell tower

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

Parola ng Panampalataya

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

Old church bells

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Bell inscribed with “Ano D 1835 – N.TRA SENORA D LALVZ” (Year 1835 – Nuestra Senora de la Luz”)

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old bell inscribed with “S. ANDRES APOSTOL – SIENDO CURA EL PRESVITERO D. AGUSTIN MENDOSA – SE PVNDIO ESTA ESQVILA MAYO 15 D 1847” (“St. Andrew the Apostle – When Don Agustin Mendosa was parish priest – who built this small bell on May 15, 1847”

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Statue of the Crucifixion

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Church interior

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors.

There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Main altar

When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

Side altar

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Choir loft

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, RizalView Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.