Category Archives: Architecture

The Colorful History of Taal Vista Hotel (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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The present Taal Vista Hotel

A lot of my childhood memories included family visits to Tagaytay  City, the country’s other summer capital (after Baguio City), where we enjoyed the cool and crisp (average temperature is 22.7º Celsius) mountain air and a picture-pretty view of Taal Volcano from its original grand garden view deck – the English Tudor Mansion-style Taal Vista Hotel.

View from Taal Vista Lodge’s Dining Room of Taal Volcano and Lake

View of Taal Lake and Volcano Today. Beyond is the 947-m. (3,17-ft. high Mt. Makulot (or Mt. Macolod), Batangas’ highest mountain

In fact, it was the public viewing ground to major as well as mild to moderate eruptions  of the volcano on September 28, 1965 , from 1966 to 1970 (lasting from three to 65 days), 1976 (September 3 to October23), 1977 (October 3 to 4 and November 9 to 12), 1991, January 12, 2020 and July 1, 2021.

Taal Vista Lodge and its Garden Terrace overlooking Taal Lake and Volcano

Previously known as Taal Vista Lodge, it is the second oldest hotel in the country after the Manila Hotel (built in 1909). The hotel has its beginnings way back in 1935 when the Zamoras of Manila Hotel bought six hectares of flatland perched atop an incline along Ilong Kastila (people say it resembles a nose or ilong) from American teacher Hammon H. Buck, the Superintendent of Schools in Batangas, who lived in the Philippines from 1898 until his death in 1945.

Hammon H. Buck with his wife Dolores Angeles and their six children

Newly elected Philippine Commonwealth President  Manuel L. Quezon, who initiated the development of Tagaytay as a tourism destination (so much so that, on June 21, 1938, he converted Tagaytay into a chartered city by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 338), instructed the government-owned and controlled Manila Railroad Company to build a lodge and golf course on Tagaytay Ridge.

Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon

Under the supervision of the Manila Hotel Company (a subsidiary of the Manila Railroad Company), the lodge was built, its architect probably Andres Luna de San Pedro (son of renowned painter Juan Luna) who, just a few years earlier, renovated Manila Hotel to accommodate a suite for Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Architect Andres Luna de San Pedro

Its contractor was probably the well-known engineering firm Pedro Soichi who built the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila and the Manila Metropolitan Theater in 1931. Both were favored by Quezon.  Upon the lodge’s opening on October 7, 1939, Quezon frequently held cabinet meetings in its premises.

The spacious Dining Room with a dance floor in the center

Typical bedroom of Taal Vista Lodge with porch ssed as a sitting room

A few years after it opened to the public, World War II broke out and the lodge became a vacation place for American servicemen.

From 1942 to 1945, when the Japanese occupied the country, Taal Vista Lodge was converted as officers’ quarters for the Japanese. After the war, the Philippine government took back control of the lodge.

On December 9, 1954, Alfredo Montelibano (Administrator of the Office of the Economic Coordinator) approved the rehabilitation and development plan for Taal Vista Lodge.

Taal Vista Lodge during the Post-War Period

The renovation included new cottages, cabanas, tea room and bar, three huge dining rooms (Lakeview Terrace, Alta Vista Pavilion and the Veranda), a children’s playground and sports facilities for horseback riding, basketball, volleyball, bowling, tennis and badminton.

Taal Vista Lodge

Between 1956 and 1964, Tagaytay  City began to be promoted as a major tourist attraction of the Philippines and Taal Vista Lodge was one of its leading attractions.

Pres. Elpidio Quirino

Among the prominent officials and personalities who stayed here include Pres. Elpidio Quirino (who also held cabinet meetings in the lodge); noted American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, and Senate president Eulogio Rodriguez and his wife.

Japanese Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko

On November 6, 1962, Crown Prince Akihito and his wife Princess Michiko of Japan attended a luncheon at the Lodge given in their honor by Vice-Pres. Emmanuel Pelaez.

Six First Ladies visit Taal Vista Lodge

On October 24, 1966, First Lady Imelda R. Marcos hosted a visit to the Lodge of five First Ladies of heads of state and government attending the Manila Summit Conference – Nguyễn Thị Mai Anh (wife of the President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam). Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson (wife of US Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson), Đặng Tuyết Mai (wife of Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky of South Vietnam), Zara Kate B. Holt (wife of Prime Minister Harold Holt of Australia) and Jongkol Kittikachorn (wife of Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn of Thailand).

Taal Volcano’s 1965 eruption

After the 1965 Taal volcano eruption, Taal Vista Lodge suffered heavy losses due to the decreased number of guests. In 1968, the Office of the Economic Coordinator (OEC) decided to privatize Taal Vista Lodge which was put on the block through public bidding on June 18, 1968.

The Resorts and Hotel Corporation won the bid (the other bidders were Philippine Airlines and the Sulo Hotel Group).  The company refurbished the lodge, constructing new facilities including an annex dining room.

Taal Vista Lodge Dining Room

In 1973, Taal Vista Lodge, now a three-star hotel, boasted a large pavilion for dinner and dancing, a bowling alley, a golf course, a billiards hall and a horseback riding area beside the lodge.

On January 11, 1984, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) took ownership of the Lodge and changed its name to Taal Vista Hotel. From 1984 to 1988, Hotel Development Corporation, its subsidiary, managed operations of the hotel.

Henry Sy, Sr.

In July 1988, DBP decided to sell Taal Vista Hotel through an unsolicited proposal from SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) headed by its chairman Henry Sy, Sr. who, when he was a young man, was one of the many regular visitors of the hotel, often choosing one spot on the grounds from which to gaze out and dream.

A 1954 photo taken by Ms. Felicidad Sy of husband Henry Sy sitting at the Garden Terrace of Taal Vista Lodge

From 1991 to November 5, 1999, SMIC added a new wing (Mountain Wing) which included a swimming pool where the rotunda is now located.  At that time, the hotel operated 83 guest rooms. On November 6, 1999, SMIC decided to close down the hotel for further renovation and construction of new facilities.

Taal Vista Hotel, 2004

In 2002, Sy had the hotel rebuilt, adding 2 new extensions on the east side of the complex to provide 128 rooms, conference facilities and amenities.  The central building (where the Lobby Lounge is now currently located) was reconstructed in the original English Tudor Mansion style.

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The English Tudor Mansion style features a steeply pitched roof with an overlapping, front-facing gable; a facade accented with half-timber framing (widely spaced wooden boards with stucco or stone in between) and a prominently placed chimney.

Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows at the Lobby Lounge allow views of Taal Lake and Volcano

Panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows were installed, allowing diners to watch, aside from Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, the 947-m. high Mt. Makulot (or Mt. Macolod), the fog rolling in, the captivating sunset and, at nighttime, the stars or the pinpoint lights of fishing boats and the lakeshore towns.

The Mountain Wing

After its reconstruction and expansion, this reinvigorated and now first-class hotel reopened its doors on March 27, 2003.  In 2004, further expansion of the hotel was made.  The Mountain Wing was extended (bringing the total to 128 rooms) and the swimming pool was moved to its present location.

Ms. Elizabeth Sy

Beginning 2009, SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (MHCC), established on April 2, 2008, with Elizabeth Sy (Henry Sy’s daughter) as president, took over management of the hotel (the corporation remains to be its owner up to the present).

The Lake Wing

Thereafter, the construction of new hotel wing (Lake Wing) and renovation of the main lobby was started.  In 2012, the Lake Wing, with its new ballroom and additional 133 guest rooms (bringing the total number of rooms to 264), was inaugurated,

Organic Herb and Vegetable Garden

That same year, Taal Vista Hotel started the Organic Herb and Vegetable Garden which supplied the needs of its various food and beverage outlets (they have four – Veranda, Lobby Lounge, Taza Fresh Table and Alta Ridge Bar).

The 75th anniversary of Taal Vista Hotel

In 2014, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration, the old Magnolia Pavilion was reconstructed as Taza Fresh Table, a new restaurant which was opened on January 28, 2015.

Taza Fresh Table

The hotel has hosted many important international gatherings such as:

  • July 1 -3, 2009 – 44th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee on Culture and Information (COCI)
  • March 3 to 6, 2015 – several ministerial meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit
  • September 11 to 14, 2017 – 23rd Senior Officials Meeting for ASCC (ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community) and 18th ASCC Council Meeting during 31st ASEAN Summit

The January 12, 2020 eruption of Taal Volcano

On January 12, 2020, after a hiatus of 43 years, Taal Volcano erupted and, on March 1, 2020, two months after the eruption, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the hotel to close its door to the public.

Taal Vista Lodge during the COVID-19 Pandemic

A few weeks later, the hotel reopened as a quarantine hotel for returning overseas  Filipino contract workers.  On September 4, 2020, the hotel reopened its food and beverage outlets to the general public and, a few days later, its guest rooms,  welcoming guests back under stringent health and safety protocols. 

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS:

I am wondering, with all the history attached to Taal Vista Hotel, why the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) hasn’t installed a historical plaque at the hotel’s facade.  The hotel has the distinction of being the second oldest in the country (after the Manila Hotel) and cabinet meetings of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and Elpidio Quirino were held there in the past as well as meetings of APEC and ASEAN.

Taal Vista Hotel: Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay  City 4120, Cavite.  Tel: (632) 7917 8225.  Mobile number: (0917) 89-1254.  E-mail: reservations@taalvistahotel.com. Website: www.taalvistahotel.com.

Casa Real (Lingayen, Pangasinan)

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Casa Real (Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum) of Lingayen

The historic Casa Real (Royal House), located beside the town hall in the heart of Lingayen, Pangasinan, served as the provincial seat of government (where the Alcalde Mayor held office as the Provincial Governor and the Judge of the Court of First Instance) and is one of the oldest public buildings in Pangasinan.

The portico facade

Built in the 1840s, it once served as the seat of the provincial government, from the Spanish Colonial era up to 1918 when the seat of the provincial government was eventually transferred to what is now the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol Building.

2019 National Historical Commission Plaque

On February 16, 1901, after the Taft Commission organized Pangasinan as a civil province,  Judge William Howard Taft and his commissioners went to Lingayen, Pangasinan and were given a grand reception at Casa Real.  In 1919, the building was used as a school and later as offices of the Judge of the Court of First Instance.

In 2002, it was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), noted it as “an outstanding and unique example of civil architecture from the Spanish and American colonial periods.”

Casa Real survived the damages brought by World War II. However, the May 2008 Tropical Storm Cosme (international name: Halong) damaged the building, blowing away its heavy roof.

Later, the provincial government of Pangasinan  allotted funds for its renovation and the building was converted into the Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum which was formally inaugurated on September 8, 2023.

Check out “Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum”

 

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS

The two-storey, 1,480 square meter building has a portico façade, with square Doric columns that support a balcony, and topped by a triangular pediment with an oval keystone window (with spider web grilles) at the center.  Dentils frame the sides of the pediment. The lower storey has circular arched main entrance flanked by large rectangular windows with segmental arches.  Wooden French doors open out to the balcony.

The granite stairway leading to the second floor

The stairway leading to the second floor still retains its original piedra china, granite stones used as ballast for galleons and Chinese junks.  However, the original balusters are gone as they did not survive looting after Typhoon Cosme.  What you see are replacements. The original tin ceiling from Belgium has been replaced with fiberglass reproductions.

Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum: Poblacion, Lingayen, Pangasinan.  Coordinates: 16.019805°N 120.230341°E.

Steveston Tram Museum (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)

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Steveston Tram Museum

The Steveston Tram Museum, housing the beautifully restored Tram Car 1220, one of the original trams that ran on Richmond’s interurban rail system and the largest artifact in the Richmond Museum Collection, allows visitors to experience authentic Interurban rail travel and learn about early 20th century transportation.

The left side of the museum

The bright red, 2,370 sq. ft.  museum, opened in May 2013 across the street from where the Steveston Station (which burned down in 1928 and replaced by a simple tram stop shelter in 1929) once stood, was designed by Birmingham & Wood Architects and built by Scott Special Projects Ltd., around the original tracks of the BC Electric Railway (BCER) Interurban Network.

The large windows at the right side of the museum

For 55 years, it provided an important economic and social connection between Richmond and the rest of the Lower Mainland. Today, you can still spot the original railroad path and power poles around the tram.

the Heritage Train Tracks at the rear of the museum

The building has 27-ft. high windows, a winch system to allow the tram  to be pulled out of the building for special events, and public art created by artist Mia Weinberg, a 1994 graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, which will be integrated into the floor of the outdoor platform at the main entrance of the building.  It also has a community meeting room and had a restoration space (now converted into a programming space after the restoration was completed).

Heritage Train Tracks

Here’s the historical timeline of the BC Electric Railway Interurban Network:

  • In 1902, rail connection in Steveston started when the Lulu Island railway, owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), ran freight and passenger steam trains to the area.
  • In 1905, the CPR leased the rail line to the BC Electric Railway Company (BCER), who electrified it for tram use. This was part of the BCER’s establishment of an Interurban railway network that would connect different communities throughout the Lower Mainland, otherwise difficult to reach.
  • In 1913, BCER added 28 1200-class tram cars bought from the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri (USA). Among them was Tram Car 1220.
  • By the 1940s, it had grown to 72 cars and 140,000 annual passengers

Tram Car 1220

Tram Car 1220, nicknamed the “Sockeye Special,” was discovered in a Mitchell Island warehouse in 1992.  Serving the local residents of Steveston to Marpole (located in south Vancouver), it was made of sturdy steel and wood, it was painted bright red.

The tram car could carry up to 64 seated passengers at a time.  They ran from the BC Electric Building at the southwest corner of Carol and Hastings Street to Steveston Village.

Tram entrance

On February 28, 1958, Tram Car 1220 made its final voyage between Marpole and Steveston, marking the end of an era for the Richmond community and for transportation history in BC.

Tram interior which looks like a glowing, wood and glass jewelry box. Beyond is the smoking area

After decades of being off the tracks, the City of Richmond acquired Tram Car 1220 and, on May 3, 2013, opened the Steveston Tram Museum which was inspired by the architecture of the first Steveston Tram Station.

A mini display.  On Saturday, the last train of the night (12 AM) leaving Vancouver carried Steveston revelers who strewed peanut shells from the snacks they’d bought from the station. Not surprisingly, this last-nigh service was locally known as the “Peanut Special.”

Five years later, after a painstaking, three-year, $400,000 restoration starting in 2016, the tram made an exciting return to its former glory.

Another mini display showing chickens, a milk churn and crates of vegetables that sometimes rode alongside passengers

Tram Car 1220 is one of only seven remaining BC Electric Railway cars, five of them in BC in various states of functionality (most of the interurbans ended up being burnt at the railyard under the Burrard Street Bridge).  Several “sister” trams are located in Metro Vancouver, as well as one in Ottawa (Car 1235 at the Canada Science and Technology).

Vintage advertisements, lining the tram;s interior, of products such as Eaton’s Tea, Dri-Glo, Barq’s and even Goodwin’s “corn dodger” shoes

In Metro Vancouver, you can visit the other surviving BCER cars at the Burnaby Village Museum (Tram 1223) or the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society  in Surrey where they offer hour-long rides around Cloverdale aboard Car 1225. 

Check out “Burnaby Village Museum” 

The author donning an motorman’s costume and cap

Jandy

When we entered the tram, a male costumed Heritage Interpreter dressed as a tram conductor immediately greeted us and walked us through, pointing out things that we would never have noticed – the smoking half of the tram with no ashtrays, the screws on the outside that are all aligned, etc.

The mechanical controls and the tiny motorman’s stool

The restoration inside was exceptional – from the rattan seats, graffiti to the match striker plates (where you can strike up a light) at the smoking section.

Vancouver Fares

Exhibits and child-friendly interactive displays also showcase this piece of Richmond history. One exhibit highlights the impact that trams had on Richmond and the Lower Mainland. It includes an extensive timeline on the history of trams which is complimented with footage of trams travelling through Richmond.

Interactive Tram Map

There is also a huge interactive map of all the tram routes that ran through Metro Vancouver.  Push buttons light up the five main lines and the stations that operate on them.

Brake lever, bell cord and conductor’s coin changer

Another interactive aspect of the exhibit is a display explaining how conductors would operate the trams with the ability to use the bell and handbrake that were onboard trams.

Main Station Clock

Another display on the tram car’s restoration process highlights the efforts of volunteers and paid professionals to bring the car to its past glory. Visitors can also dress up as a conductor.

Tickets of the Tram

Evocative artifacts on display include rail spikes, tram tokens, a 1950 employee badge, a 1914 tram whistle and a handsome clock of the type that would have hung on the wall of every station along the network.

1953 motorman’s cap, BCER employee badge, reverse key

Also on display are faded signs from several old stations (Steveston, Trucks and Woodward’s); a 1950s hat worn by a motorman (AKA tram driver); a fare poster from the line’s final years (an adult one-zone fare was just 13c), a brake lever, bell cord and conductor’s coin changer.

Restoring the Rare

Adjacent to the museum is the Steveson Nikkei Memorial, a public art and contemplative garden space unveiled on June 22, 2019, that honors the 75th anniversary of the evacuation, relocation, and internment of 2,500 Japanese Canadians from Steveston during World War II.  It further celebrates the rebuilding of the Steveston community following their return from internment in following the war. 

Steveson Nikkei Memorial

Steveston Tram Museum: 4011 Moncton St., Richmond, British Columbia V7E 3A8.  Tel: 604-238-8081.  E-mail: interurban1220@richmond.ca. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 12 to 4 PM (Spring, January 3 to May 19); daily, 10 AM to 5 PM (Summer, May 20 to September 4)  and Tuesdays to Sundays, 12 to 4 PM (Fall/Winter, September 5 to December 31). Closed on statutory holidays.  Admission is free.

 

Railway Museum of British Columbia: CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre (Squamish, Canada)

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CN Roundhouse and Conference Center

After our Mini-Rail ride, we next proceeded, indoors, to the spectacular CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre, the largest meeting facility in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

Opened last June 30, 2010, this fully geothermal roundhouse, with three levels, has also become a major community events space, with many banquets, weddings, public markets and other functions regularly held at the site.

The 22,000 sq. ft. building, with its over 280 ft. long curving glass feature wall and its upper level viewing deck, offers spectacular views of the Heritage Park and the surrounding mountains in all directions. A vintage railway turntable, to move the trains in and out, was refurbished and installed and is fully operational.

 

 

It is also a grand showcase for a collection of precious pieces of rolling stock in climate-controlled comfort.  Two are locomotives (Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive and Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST locomotive), one business car (British Columbia Business Car) and one is a troop carrier (Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714).

The magnificent Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive is the Crown Jewel of the collection.  One of 65 ‘Hudson’ type 4-6-4 steam locomotives built for the CPR by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW), this series of engines was numbered 2800 to 2864 and the first one was delivered in 1929.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive

Starting with No. 2820, the Hudsons got the streamlining treatments so popular in the 1930’s. Five CPR Hudsons were saved (Nos. 2816, 2839, 2850, 2858 and 2860).

During the visit to Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939, Locomotive No. 2850 (now at Exporail near Montreal) was assigned to haul the Royal Train, performing flawlessly and impressing the King greatly. The CPR received permission to designate the streamlined Hudsons “Royal” and eventually each locomotive was equipped with a crown fastened to their running boards.

Visitors checking out the 2860’s driver’s compartment

The engine and loaded tender weigh 293,770 kgs. (648,000 lbs.), has a tractive effort of 19,2004 kgs. (42,250 lbs.) and is capable of speeds of 144 kph (90 mph). The locomotive and tender have a total length of 27.27 m. (90’ 10”) and is 4.7 m. (15’ 10”) high. The tender has a capacity of 54,600 liters (12,000 gallons) of water and 18,614 liters (4,1000 gallons) of fuel oil.

The 2860’s driver’s compartment

Engine 2860, finished in June 1940, was restored for a proposed Railway Museum in Vancouver.  In 1974, the Province of British Columbia bought the locomotive for an excursion train and it ran on the BC Rail track from North Vancouver to Squamish. In 2000, the province leased the engine to the district of Squamish for display and restoration at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (now the Railway Museum of British Columbia). You can climb into the cab and ring the bell.

The author inside the 2860’s driver’s compartment

 

The Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST locomotive, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in February 1910, is a “Prairie” type weighing over 90 tons in working trim and delivering about 22,000 lbs. of tractive effort with a boiler pressure of 185 lbs.

Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2S locomotive

The cylinders are 16” x 24” and the engine is equipped with Stephenson valve gear. The ‘ST’ denotes the unique saddlle tank design for the water tank above the boiler.

The Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST driver’s compartment

The British Columbia Business Car, built in 1890 by Barney & Smith of Dayton ( Ohio) as the sleeper Sherbrooke for the Canadian Pacific Railway, was rebuilt, in 1912, in CP Angus as a Business car No. 16 and used all across Canada until it was retired. In 1961, it was purchased from the CPR by founding members of the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA). The car was then leased to the Victoria Pacific (a tourist railway operator) until 1971.

British Columbia Business Car

In 1983, the car was returned to the WCRA and, by that time, it had suffered serious damage. That same year, restoration began and was completed on July 30, 1990, in time for its 100th birthday. It is estimated that 80,000 person hours and $360,000 have gone into bringing British Columbia to her present condition.

Interior of the British Columbia Business Car

As a business car, it would normally carry a complement of three – a Railway Executive, his assistant and a Steward. However, the car could sleep up to 10 people in a comfort rarely equaled today. The interior is Honduran mahogany, inlaid with birch, maple and walnut and finished with 12 coats of varnish, each one sanded between coats and finally French polished. All the fittings are solid brass and the car rides on 6 wheel trucks. 

The Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper

The Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714, built by the Pullman Company during World War II to alleviate the shortage of sleeping cars to transport troops in the US, was built with Allied Full Cushion high speed trucks and was designed to be converted into baggage cars thus ensuring a ready sale when the war is over.  Both troop sleepers in the collection saw service on the Alaska Railroad during the latter days of the war.

Interior of the Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714

There are two cabooses (a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train that provide shelter for crew) – the British Columbia Railway Extended Vision Caboose 1859 and the Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817.

The BC Rail Caboose 1859

British Columbia Railway Extended Vision Caboose 1859, featuring the beautiful two-tone green and BC Trillium livery, was originally built by the PGE home shops in 1969.

Interior of the BC Rail Caboose 1859

The Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817 was one thirty cabooses were built, numbered from 1811 to 1840.  In 1955, No. 1817 was rebuilt, from PGE stock car No. 503, in the PGE car shop.

The Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817

In their conversion, they were stripped the caboose to the frame and rebuilt it using conventional methods. They sheathed it , inside and out, using marine plywood. The cupolas were constructed with sheet metal and welded for extra strength.

Interior of the Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817

Warm and comfortable, they were equipped with a standard caboose cook stove and 3 bunks for crew. ST denotes the unique Saddle Tank design for the water tank over the boiler.

1934 Chrysler Air Flow Model CU

A rare 1934 Chrysler Air Flow Model CU, noted for its aerodynamic body design (far before its time), was purchased from Ron Fawcett (a classic car dealer from Whitby, Ontario) in 1981 for $6,500, by William Albert Exworthy whose joy was restoring antique cars. He restored this car from 1994 to 1995 and, on May 2006, donated it to the museum.

1937 Ford Track Inspection Car

There’s also a 1937 Ford Fordor Sedan rail inspection car which was in service till 1962.  It had the perfect wheelbase to run on top of the rails, with flanges mounted behind the wheels.

Original brass bell from Canadian National 2-8-2 3449

Luggage Wagon

Also on display here is the original brass bell from Canadian National 2-8-2 3449;; a scaled model of a Shay 3 Cylinder Logging Locomotive; an original Stanley Park miniature train; a luggage wagon; a Max Jacquiard painting of Canadian National 6060; and historical Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern Railway advertisements.

Original Stanley Park Miniature Train

Model of a Shay 3 Cylinder Logging Locomotive

Their Gift Shop offers a selection of Railway Museum of British Columbia apparel; scale model trains,model kits, die-cast models, DVDs (featuring Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson No.2860); puzzles and toys; and merchandise celebrating a Day Out with Thomas and North Pole Express events.

The Gift Shop

Railway Museum of British Columbia: 39645 Government Road, Squamish, British Columbia V8B 0B6.  Tel:  604-898-9336.  E-mail: Info@wcra.org. Website: www.wcra.org. Open every Saturday and long weekends, Sundays all summer, 10 AM – 5 PM, select Thursdays, 10 AM – 3 PM. Group Tour events Special Access.  Admission (plus taxes): ($25 (adults, 19–59 years), $20 (seniors, 60+ years), $18 (students ages 12+), $10 (children, 6-11 years), $75 (family, where members must reside at the same address). Toddlers, under 5 years of age, are free admission.  Admission tickets usually include all rides and activities.

How to Get There: the museum isn’t so easy to find unless you have a good map or GPS. Driving past the main intersection with Petro-Canada, 7-Eleven & McDonalds, turn left at either of the next two exits (Industrial Way or Commercial Way) then turn right on Queens Way and follow that a short distance until it merges with Government Road at the stop sign. Proceed across the BC Railway Crossing (after looking both ways). The entrance to the museum will be on your right.

Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

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Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

The stunning and striking, 3,252 sq. m. (35,000 sq. ft.) Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (SCA), adjacent to Burnaby’s Municipal Complex, serves as a venue for both performance and teaching in the arts.  This wood and stone facility was designed to carefully integrate into the park setting, offering spectacular natural views from its windowed studios, atrium and exterior raised terrace.

East entrance

Owned and operated by the City, the building is named after internationally acclaimed, England-born painter Jack Leonard Shadbolt (1909–1998) and his wife, the curator, author and art educator Doris Shadbolt (1918–2003).

Jack and Doris Shadbolt

This lovely, award-winning, multi-purpose community arts facility, in a central Burnaby location in picturesque Deer Lake Park, augments and unifies the existing natural and cultural “park.”

Commemorative plaque

Housing a recital hall, theaters, dance and pottery studios, clean and spacious music rehearsal rooms and more, this community resource offers a year-round schedule of live performances, festivals, exhibitions and special events ranging from theater and music to dance, literature and the visual arts and supports artists through our Artist in Residence Program.

The Atrium

Artists have access to large, windowed studio spaces and rehearsal rooms, including ceramics studios, kilns, visual arts and music studios, dance and theater rehearsal spaces. More than 8,000 arts enthusiasts take part in its programs, classes and workshops and, on average, over 250,000 people visit the center annually.

The Gallery

Designed by the internationally renowned firm of Hotson Bakker Architects (Henry Hawthorn Architect), this performance and teaching center for the visual arts, theater and dance opened on November 18,1995 and received the prestigious Canadian Wood Council Award of Merit for the building’s creative design in 1996.

Stairway

Its exterior cladding materials, including the cedar shingles and stone, were selected to integrate with the surrounding heritage residential buildings. The Plaza, the raised Terrace and the Promenade connect the building with the other cultural and community amenities.

James Cowan Theatre

To provide opportunities to experience the activities held within, there are ample views into the building as well as opportunities to walk up and over as well as through it.  The interior public spaces of the Atrium and the Gallery separate the building into three pavilions (Music, Dance and Theater Arts) that complements its natural surroundings and provide public spaces between for gathering.

Center Aisle Gallery

The airy Atrium, characterized by an exuberant heavy timber roof structure that is also featured in the Gallery as well as the primary dance studio, provides direct access to the recital hall and 150-pax studio (black box theater) while scaled to also support markets and other community activities within.

One of the rehearsal rooms

The Gallery, running the length of the building, links the many and varied teaching and performance spaces, while providing opportunities to display some of the visual arts created within the facility. The prominent stone wall recalls the heritage projects of the precinct.  The new dance rehearsal studio enjoys ample daylight that helps highlight the heavy timber roof structure.

BC Spirit Square

Outside the arts center is BC Spirit Square which was opened last July 18, 2010, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. It has carved basalt monoliths (called Vitality) carved by Coast Salish artist Thomas Connell.

“Vitality,” 7.5 to 9 ft. tall basalt monoliths at BC Spirit Square by Coast Salish artist Thomas Cannell chiseled with images of family life rendered in a traditional Coastal Salish community environment.  The outer rims are left unfinished to give them a natural edge.  At night, the slabs are lit, from below, by embedded lighting.

Outside the west entrance are the 6.2 m. (14-ft.) high Burnaby Millennium Sculpture Poles were done in 2001 by Keith Rice-Jones, with the assistance of his wife Celia Rice-Jones, both local ceramic artists. 

Burnaby Millennium Sculpture Poles. These three structural poles, representing Burnaby’s past, present and future, were built with raw clay flue liners, with low relief sculptural rendering on each of the four sides, created by Burnaby residents, with their personal creative interpretations of the theme of persistence.

Shadbolt Centre for the Arts: 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Deer Lake Park, Burnaby V5G 2J3, British Columbia.   Tel: (604) 297-4440 and (604) 205-3022. Fax: (604) 205-3001.  Website: www.shadboltcentre.com.

How to Get There: Bus 123, 133, 144 and Skytrain (Millenium Line) transit lines have routes that pass near Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.  The closest stations to Shadbolt Centre for the Arts are:

  • Southbound Deer Lake Ave @ Shadbolt Centre ( 131 m. away, 3 min. walk).
  • Eastbound Canada Way @ Century Park Way (191 m. away, 3 min. walk)
  • Bus Loop @ Burnaby City Hall (536 m. away, 8 min. walk)
  • Sperling-Burnaby Lake Station (1,835 m. away, 24 min. walk)
  • Royal Oak Station (2,602 m. away, 34 min. walk)

There is free parking at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts which includes 70 underground stalls and 130 surface stalls at the north end of the building.

Fairacres Mansion (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

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Fairacres Mansion

The large, two-and-one-half storey, sprawling Fairacres Mansion, also called the H.T. Ceperley House (after its original owners), now houses the Burnaby Art Gallery.   Designed by English born and trained architect Robert Percival Sterling Twizell (1875-1964) who was steeped in the current architectural trends in Great Britain, it was one of his grandest residential commissions.  The mansion, on the north shore of Deer Lake, was built in 1910 at an estimated cost of C$150,000.00, making it the largest and most expensive house in Burnaby and the Lower Mainland at that time.

Check out “Burnaby Art Gallery” and “Deer Lake Park”

The 20-acre (half of it landscaping) estate, owned by American-born couple Henry Tracy Ceperley (1850- 1929) and Grace E. Dixon Ceperley (1863-1917, a successful and well-respected businessman who made a significant contribution to the development of the City of Vancouver), was conceived and funded by Grace who had achieved significant wealth through a bequest from Vancouver pioneer Arthur G. Ferguson (the same Ferguson of Ferguson Point in Stanley Park), her brother-in-law. The construction of Fairacres, their retirement home, spawned the transformation of the Deer Lake area from a farming community into a preferred location for elite suburban homes.


The mansion was constructed in the Edwardian Arts and Crafts style which is often used for estate mansions as a symbol of affluence and good, modern taste, as well as an affinity for all things British. It is reflected in the architectural detailing and proportions, with handmade fixtures, carpentry and tiled fireplaces.  Quality, in the finishes and materials, orchestrated by James Charles Allen, a prominent local contractor, was displayed inside and out.

On the death of Grace at the age of 54 ‘(her ghost was said to haunt the mansion), Henry sold the house, in 1923, to Frederick Buscombe (one-time mayor of Vancouver). It also served as a tuberculosis ward for Vancouver General Hospital.  In 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Munro, the last family to own the mansion, sold the house to the Benedictine monks from Oregon and, in 1953, it became an abbey. In 1954, the Order vacated the house when it moved to Westminster Abbey (British Columbia) in Mission.

 

In 1955, the Benedictines sold the property to the Canadian Temple of the More Abundant Life, a cult headed by William Franklin Wolsey (who called himself “Archbishop John I”), a convicted bigamist (with a string of extortion and wife-beating charges), serving as its church and school.  After the school closed in 1960 (when Wolsey fled the country), it was leased and converted into a fraternity house (or “Animal House” of sorts) for Simon Fraser University‘s Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

Ground floor fireplace

In 1966, the Burnaby Art Society (led by Jack Hardman, Polly Svangtun, Sheila Kincaid and Winifred Denny, among others) worked with the City of Burnaby (its first civic heritage conservation project) to purchase the 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) site for C$166,000.00 for conversion to Burnaby’s first art gallery.

To mark Canada’s Centennial of Confederation, the Burnaby Art Gallery opened its doors in June 1967. In 1992, it was designated as a Heritage Property and, on February 22, 2005, it was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Wooden stairway

The exterior featured a rich variety of exterior elements that demonstrate the typical Edwardian Arts and Crafts use of local materials such as cobblestone chimneys and foundations, wide wooden siding and half-timbering.

It had a side-gabled roof with prominent dormers and cedar shingle cladding, a porte cochere (with its side steps for those arriving by automobile, and central raised step for those alighting from horse-drawn carriages), a mixture of double-hung and casement wooden-sash windows (many with multi-paned sash) and a verandah across the eastern (garden) facade, with its vistas over the landscaped gardens, the distant mountains, Deer Lake and other grand homes in the area.

The lavish interior spaces, designed for entertaining on a grand scale, featured a generous living and dining rooms arranged off a central hall.  Detailed features of the interior woodwork (including the staircase) were carved by Scottish-born George Selkirk Gibson (1867-1942), a master wood carver who was best known for his many commissions for prominent British Columbia architect Samuel Maclure.

The billiard room and parlor with a beamed ceiling and an inglenook fireplace, also had a grand oak mantelpiece hand-carved by Gibson which bears a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”

The tiles in the fireplace surrounds throughout the house, imported from England, were fabricated by Conrad Dressler and his Medmenham Pottery.  It is one of the earliest documented use of these tiles outside the United Kingdom.  The interiors also featured leaded stained glass and window hardware by Hope and Sons.

Marker for Root House and Steam Plant

The main house anchors, in style and setting, the four associated original outbuildings (Garage and Stables; Root House, Steam Plant and Chauffeur’s Cottage) on the estate which are an important record of the functioning of a large estate of the time.  Some were designed by Architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917), also an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design.

Root House

The one-storey, 4.6 by 9.1 m., masonry Root House, was used as a frost-free store for fruit and vegetables for the family’s use. Built in 1908, the long, low Root House was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.

Root House

It had a front-gabled roof with cedar shingle cladding and its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include its original louvered ventilation cupola with flared roof, extended eaves and brackets, and pebble-dashed stucco coating on the concrete walls.

The Garage and Stables and the Chauffeur’s Cottage accommodated the use of automobiles, horses and carriages and, in concert with the estate’s location near the new British Columbia Electric Railway Burnaby Lake interurban line, illustrate the evolving nature of regional transportation and the growing bedroom communities and estates made possible by increasing options for transportation.

Marker for Chauffeur’s Cottage and Garage and Stables

The two-storey, wood frame Garage and Stables, situated to the north of the Chauffeur’s Cottage, its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the shingle wall cladding articulated with a chevron-patterned course of shingles at the first floor level, multi-paned wooden-sash casement windows (some retaining original wired glass), and deep eaves with additional purlins to support the overhang.  Its stable doors, with hand-made forged-iron door hardware, are still original.

Stables and Garage

The long, narrow single-storey Chauffeur’s Cottage, situated across from the main entrance to the Ceperley mansion, adjacent to the Garage and Stables, was constructed by joining together two modest estate cottages.

Chauffer’s Cottage

Its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the jerkin-headed door hood, a reference to the thatched-roofed cottages of southern England, eight-paned wooden-sash casement windows, and cedar-shingled exterior.  The modest, functional interior, with simple trim and lack of pretension, had two internal brick chimneys.

Steam Plant Building

The single-storey wood-frame Steam Plant building, built from 1907 to 1908, had a gabled roof that originally housed the apparatus for climate control in the greenhouse (formerly located to its north).  It was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.

Steam Plant Building

Adjacent to it is the original rubblestone walls that formed the foundation for the greenhouse. It had six-paned wooden-sash casement windows and its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the shingle wall cladding with decorative shingling under window sills, deep eaves, and pebble-dashed concrete foundation walls.

Kiln Station

The remaining formal Edwardian garden landscape elements include the cross-axial plan that reflects the relationship of the mansion to its outdoor rooms. Its grounds also included horse stables, an aviary, gazebo and pergola, lagoons, strawberry fields, greenhouses, a kiln station and a gardener’s cottage.  On November 23, 1992, Fairacres Mansion was designated as a Heritage Site.

Check out “Heritage Buildings of Burnaby”

Fairacres Mansion: 6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby V5G 213, British Columbia, Canada. Tel: (604) 297-4422.  Fax: (604) 205-7339.  E-mail: gallery@burnaby.ca.  Website: www.burnabyartgallery.ca. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4:30 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays, 12 noon to 5 PM. Admission is free (a C$5 donation is suggested).

How to Get There: Bus 144 Metrotown runs from the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain Station to the mansion.  By car, take Sprott St. Exit, drive straight through Canada Way, past Burnaby City Hall and Central High School, turn left into Deer Lake Ave.  The mansion is at the top of the hill on your right.

Quezon Memorial Shrine (Quezon City, Metro Manila

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Quezon Memorial Shrine

The Quezon Memorial Shrine (Filipino: Pambansang Pang-alaalang Dambana ni Quezon), a triangle-shaped, Art Deco-themed monument dedicated to former Philippine President Manuel Quezon, serves as the centerpiece within the grounds of the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Check out “Quezon Memorial Shrine” and “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

 

Statue of Manuel Quezon

Statue of Manuel Quezon historical plaque

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • On December 17, 1945, it was established by virtue of Executive Order No. 79 signed by then-President Sergio Osmeña.
  • In 1951, a national contest for the Quezon Memorial Project was held and architect Federico Ilustre‘s design won. Aside from the monument itself, also planned to be erected were a complex of three auxiliary structures (presidential library, museum, and theater) which were never built.
  • In 1952, the Bureau of Public Works commenced the construction of the monument
  • Between 1957 and 1958, the monument was completed
  • On September 24, 1972, the monument was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Historical Institute through Presidential Decree No.1 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos .
  • On January 14, 1974, the monument was formally designated as a national shrine.
  • On August 19, 1978 (the 100th anniversary of Quezon’’s birth), the memorial was inaugurated.
  • On August 1, 1979, the remains of former President Manuel Quezon was transferred to a mausoleum at the foot of the monument at the Quezon Memorial Shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • In 1989, 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal, were installed around the base of the memorial.
  • On April 28, 2005, the 26th anniversary of her assassination, the remains of Quezon’s wife Aurora Aragon Quezon, were likewise transferred to the shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • On March 12, 2020, the shrine was recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT)
  • In December 2021, the declaration was made public.

The 66-m. (217-ft.) shrine, representing Quezon’s age when he died from tuberculosis stands, on a 36-hectare elliptical lot. Its observation deck (currently not open to the public), with a panoramic view of the city, is accessed via a spiral staircase (now an elevator) from the bottom of the structure and can accommodate 60 people at the top.

Historical Plaque of the shrine

At the top of the three towering, connected pylons (covered with white Carrara marble from Italy) are The Three Muses, stone mourning winged angels (representing the three main island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), sculpted by the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Clementi Monti (1888-1958), with their heads bowed (as if mourning Quezon) and holding sampaguita (Jasminum sambac, the national flower) wreaths. The flower symbolizes purity and fidelity as it root words sumpa kita means “I promise you.”

The Three Muses

The regional identity of each female angel figure could be discerned from the distinctive and traditional baro’t saya (blouse and skirt) combination they were clothed with.  For of Luzon, the muse is wearing a traje de mestiza, with an embroidered pañuelo (shawl) worn over her camisa (blouse).

For the Visayas, the muse is wearing a kimona (blouse) with short “butterfly” shoulders, and an alampay (kerchief) draped over her shoulder. For Mindanao, the muse is wearing a tight fitting biyatawi (blouse) with a patadyong (skirt) wrapped over the sawal (trousers), and a kambut (sash) draped across her chest.

Quezon’s catafalque

The three pylons would, in turn, circumscribe a drum-like, two-storey structure containing a gallery from which visitors could look down at Quezon’s catafalque (modeled after Napoleon Bonaparte’s in the Invalides), elevated on a marble plinth in the center.

Check out “L’Hotel des Invalides”

The oculus

The gallery and the catafalque below are lit by an oculus (in turn reminiscent of Grant’s Tomb) surrounded by three heads of carabaos believed to have also been sculpted by Monti and mounted in 1958. The tomb of his wife First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon is in a niche on the side of the room.

Tomb of First Lady Aurora Quezon

On the second level, above the circular crypt, is a 3.35 m. high statue of Quezon (originally located outside the memorial) atop a 4.26 m. high marble pedestal sculpted by the late National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and installed in 1978, depicting Quezon delivering his fiery speech when he was elected president of the Commonwealth.

Statue of Manuel Quezon (Guillermo Tolentino)

Pietro “Piero” Amberti, an architect and marble mason from Torino (Italy) who had settled in the Philippines, was hired by former Quezon City Mayor Tomas Morato, to beautify the monument with Carrara marble. Morató also hired Arch. Anselmo T. Alquinto (born 1905) to design the landscaping of the park. Morato’s successors replaced the Italian marbles with locally sourced marble.

Some of the 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal

Installed within the Shrine itself are two small museums, one containing the presidential memorabilia of Quezon (Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon) at its base, and the other containing items on the history of Quezon City.

Check out “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

Entrance to the Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon

Quezon Memorial Shrine: Quezon Memorial Circle, Elliptical Road, Diliman,  Quezon City, Metro Manila. Coordinates: 14°39′05.1″N 121°02′57″E.

The Ancestral Houses of Juban (Sorsogon)

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Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

After breakfast and checking out of Residencia del Hamor in Casiguran, we again boarded our coaster for the 56.4-km. (one-hour, 15-min.) drive to Matnog Port. Along the way, we passed by the town of Juban and made a short stopover as we saw some well-preserved ancestral houses along the highway. The old bahay na bato (“stone houses”) of Juban were once the residences of some of the town’s richest families – the Bendillos, Guevaras, Grajos, Alindogans, Guarins, Lasalas and Gorospes.

Casa Feliz

One such structure that still exists is Casa Feliz. Built in 1898, the first owner of the house was Don Leoncio Grajo who was gifted this house by his father when he passed the bar exams in the early 1900s.  Leoncio was elected the First Representative of Sorsogon in the Philippine Assembly of 1912. One of the most beautiful old houses in Juban, it became Don Leoncio’s district office during his incumbency.

Casa Feliz

After his death, his son, Leoncio Grajo Jr., inherited the house. However, to pursue his career in Manila, the young Leoncio had to sell the place to his sister Lourdes Grajo Hubilla. As she grew old, Lourdes decided to transfer ownership of the house to Dr. Teresita Lasala-Ruth, a neighbor.

Lasala-Guarin Ancestral House

With the help of National Historical Commission of the Philippines, she really spent so much effort to restore this once almost dilapidated ancestral house. The restoration took over a year.  It was named after Dr. Teresita’s mother, Felicidad.  Jesus N. Lasala is the current owner of Casa Feliz.  The house was converted into a bed and breakfast with eight rooms.   Casa Feliz has annexes –Ann’s Garden (a function hall) and Café Jeronimo (a bar and restaurant), located a block near the old house.

Casa Feliz is not the only ancestral houses we saw along the highway in Juban. There are 3 more old houses nearby but these ancestral houses are private and do not accept guests.

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Like most bahay na bato, the foundations of these two-storey, gaily painted houses are made from Spanish-style, solid stone blocks or bricks where the overhanging wooden upper-storey rests on. The exteriors typically have exquisite and tall capiz shell or persiana sliding windows, double eaves supported by diagonal brackets, ventanillas (small shuttered windows below the large windows with wooden balustrades),wooden moldings on the walls and calado (lace-like fretwork or latticework).

Today, the threat of demolition hangs over their heads to make way for the road widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highway’s (DPWH).

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS

These old houses, one of the well known tourist attractions of the province, are rich historical and cultural heritage sites in the idyllic town of Juban that are considered priceless gems that can never be replaced by road widening and progress. In lieu of the road widening, the solution I suggest is a bypass or diversion road be built a few kilometers before the town proper on vast tracts of idle or unproductive land that can be acquired, at a minimal cost, by the provincial government.

These ancestral houses should also registered as Presumed Important Cultural Properties under the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property.  For the time being, the provincial government can install their own plaques recognizing them as a Provincial Cultural Treasure.  These houses have survived World War II and natural calamities such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Let’s hope they survive the wrecking ball.

Casa Feliz: Pan-Philippine Highway cor. L. Grajo St., AH26, South Poblacion,  Juban, 4703 Sorsogon. Mobile number: (0919) 991-2297. Website: www.casafeliz.org.

How to Get There: Juban is located 545.3 kms. (a 13–hr. ) drive from Manila and 30.6 kms. (a 40-min.) drive from Sorsogon City, all via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26.

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph.  Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorsogonprovincialtourismoffice.

Juban Municipal Tourism, Cuture and Arts Office: E-mail: jubanturismo@gmail.com.  www.jubansorsogon.com.ph. Facebook: www.facebook.com/JubanTurismo 

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel

Church of St. Joseph the Worker (Barcelona, Sorsogon)

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Church of St. Joseph the Worker

Part of the Sorsogon Countryside Tour

After breakfast at Residencia del Hamor in Casiguran, we all boarded our coaster for the short 13.5-km. (20-min.) drive to the adjoining town of Barcelona.  Along the highway, we made a stopover at the fortress-like Church of St. Joseph the Worker.

The Baroque-style facade

Also known as Barcelona Church, the church was built in 1874 (during the term of Gobernadorcillo Juan Evasco) by Franciscan friars on a coral foundation.

The author at Barcelona Church

One of the oldest, most beautiful and well-preserved churches in the Bicol Region, it also has 1.5-meter thick walls made of hand-hewned anapog patched together by beaten egg whites mixed with lime and tuba (coconut wine).

Bas-relief indicating the year “1874”

From the church, an underground tunnel once lead to the town’s Spanish-era presidencia , across the street at the Barcelona Ruins Park, but it was closed to prevent thieves from accessing religious relics in the church.  Beside the church is Curia, a coffee shop.

Check out “Barcelona Ruins Park” 

The church’s historical plaque

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The Baroque two-level façade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by fluted pilasters and semicircular arched niches.

The second level has a statued niche, above which is a triangular pediment (above which is a square central bell tower flanked by a balustrade) with a centrally located oculus, flanked by circular windows.  Attention is focused on the central segment because of its advancing mass.

The church’s modern interior

The church has undergone several restoration works, the most recent being last May 2019. The church’s modern interior has beautiful stained glass windows and ceiling paintings,

The main altar area

Church of St. Joseph the Worker: Poblacion Central, Barcelona, Sorsogon. Feast of St. Joseph the Worker: May 19.

How to Get There: Barcelona is located 548.5 kms. (an 11.25-hour drive) from Manila and 27 kms. southeast of Sorsogon City.

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph.  Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorsogonprovincialtourismoffice.

Barcelona Municipal Tourism Office: mobile numbers (0908) 927-6481 and (0917) 348-7084.

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel.

Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts (Sorsogon City, Sorsogon)

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Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts

Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

The 2-storey, 2,638 sq. m., P77.6 million Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts (SCCA), also known as just the Sorsogon Cultural Center, is a state-of-the-art facility for audio and visual presentations.  It  is regarded as the second national cultural center of the Philippines, the first being the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila.

Inauguration plaque

A grand place to cover film and broadcast arts, as well as literary and visual arts, its presence will encourage local artists to pursue their passion through numerous workshops, seminars, anthologies, exhibits, symposia, competitions, and awards. It aims to establish good network among local and regional artists as well as cultural workers in the country. The center will also be a venue for local communities for organizing their leisure, providing opportunities for self-expression, initiatives and cultural education.

Mohri & P.A. Associates, Inc. was the consultant (site evaluation & analysis, architectural conceptual planning and design, detailed architectural and engineering design, and budgetary project cost estimates) for the theater. Construction of the venue began on October 16, 2017 and it was inaugurated on December 3, 2022.

Outdoor lounge lobby

The facility has a total seating capacity of 515 (338 seats on ground floor and 177 seats on the mid-floor level) and houses exhibit rooms, offices, an outdoor lobby, lounge lobby, vestibule, spectators’ area, orchestra pit and stage for performances and shows.

Lounge lobby ceiling

Run and managed by the Sorsogon Foundation for Culture and the Arts, it is itself distinct as it is shaped like a pili nut which makes it uniquely Sorsoganon.

Performance stage and lower seating area

Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts: Sorsogon City Government Complex Diversion Road, Brgy. Cabid-An, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.

How to Get There: Sorsogon City is located 517.5 kms. (a 12–hr. drive) from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26. 

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel