University of Santo Tomas Main Building

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University of Santo Tomas
Main Building
Pangunahing Gusali ng Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas
400 Year old Beauty.jpg
Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas Main Building
General information
TypeEducational and office building
Architectural style Renaissance Revival architecture
Location España, Sampaloc, Manila
Coordinates 14°36′37″N120°59′21″E / 14.61028°N 120.98917°E / 14.61028; 120.98917
Current tenantsUniversity administrators and students
Construction started1924
CompletedJuly 2, 1927
InauguratedNovember 12, 1927
Cost 1.5 million
Owner University of Santo Tomas
Height51.5 m (169 ft)
Dimensions
Other dimensions86 m x 74 m
Technical details
Structural system Seismic isolation system
Floor countfour
Design and construction
Structural engineerRev. Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P.
Main contractor American Society for Testing and Materials and Portland Cement Association
DesignatedJanuary 25, 2010
Reference no.1–2010 [1]

The Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, Philippines functions as the university's administrative center, and home of the Faculty of Civil Law, Faculty of Pharmacy, and the College of Science. The Main Building is also the home of the Museum of Arts and Sciences.

Contents

Building

The building, designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., is the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines. [2] Ruaño was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. [3]

Design and structure

The 40 separate structures of the Main Building UST Main Building Divisions.png
The 40 separate structures of the Main Building

In 1920, Roque Ruaño was assigned to draw up plans for the UST Main Building to be constructed at the Sulucan property of the Dominican Order. During the years 1922 and 1923, the plans were finally completed. However, some fine tunings may have been made on the design criteria as a result of the new lessons learned from the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1, 1923 which flattened Tokyo and Yokohama. [4] Eventually, construction began in 1924.

The structure is a rectangular building having a dimension of 86 meters long and 74 meters wide with two interior courtyards or patios . The most significant feature is the fact that it is actually made up of 40 separate structures independent from one another with the only opportunity provided by pre-cast stab flooring. [4] But some locations of the separations are now difficult to determine exactly because of the numerous cosmetic changes the interior of the building which has undergone over the years. According to an article written by the former dean of Faculty of Engineering, Manuel Mañosa, this is how it is divided:

Statues

Sculptures that adorns the rooftop of UST Main Building Tria Haec.jpg
Sculptures that adorns the rooftop of UST Main Building

Standing on the pedestals of the fourth floor of the building are statues symbolizing the spiritual and intellectual aspiration of the university. Designed by the Italian Francesco Monti, faculty member of the College of Architecture, they were installed between 1949 and 1953. [5]

History

Liberation of UST from the Japanese during World War II Santo Tomas Internment Camp Liberation .jpg
Liberation of UST from the Japanese during World War II

Construction began on 1924 and first classes were held on July 2, 1927. The faculties of Philosophy and Letters, Liberal Arts (they would later merge under the Philosophy and Letters name, later to be renamed as the Faculty of Arts and Letters), Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Engineering, and the College of Education were the first occupants who transferred to the new building. Since then, the Main Building has been the focal point of the campus. It is where all succeeding structures revolved.

After the invasion and occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II, the Japanese converted the university into the Santo Tomas Internment Camp for Americans and other non-Filipinos starting on January 4, 1942. Three floors of the building were occupied by the internees. Several internees were located in the Education Building (now housing the University of Santo Tomas Hospital) and other buildings.

On February 3, 1945, during the Battle for Manila the university was liberated by the 1st Cavalry Division, tanks from the 44th Tank Battalion and Filipino guerrillas. On February 4, Japanese commander Toshio Hayashi took some of the internees hostage in the nearby Education Building and negotiated for the Japanese soldiers to rejoin Japanese forces in the south of the city in exchange for the internees. A plaque dedicated in 1954 commemorates the event. [6]

After the war, UST resumed operation, holding classes in the building. The university and the building was visited by Pope Paul VI in 1970 [2] and Pope John Paul II in 1995 when UST hosted World Youth Day 1995. In 2015, Pope Francis became the third pope to visit the university, but did not enter the building.

Aside from Popes, several notable international figures have visited the building. In 2012, Queen Sofia of Spain visited the building.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Santo Tomas</span> Private pontifical university in Manila, Philippines

The University of Santo Tomas is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel de Benavides, third Archbishop of Manila, it has the oldest extant university charter in Asia, and is one of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of enrollment found on one campus. It is the main campus of the University of Santo Tomas System that is run by the Order of Preachers.

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering, or UST-Eng, is the engineering school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law</span> Law school in Manila, Philippines

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law or "UST Law" is a law school in Manila, Philippines. It is administered under the jurisdiction of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in the Philippines. It is one of the three law schools of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, with the other two being the Faculty of Canon Law and the Graduate School of Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters</span> Faculty of Philippines university

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, popularly known as "UST Artlets" or "UST AB", is the liberal arts school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Pharmacy is the pharmaceutical school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

The University of Santo Tomas College of Education, popularly known as "UST-Educ", is the teacher education, nutrition and dietetics, food technology, and library and information science school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1926 at Intramuros, Manila.

Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as 1st to be elected and 17th Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York City's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms. Nicknamed "Arsenic" and described as "a good man with a bad mouth", Lacson's fiery temperament became a trademark of his political and broadcasting career. He died suddenly from a stroke amidst talk that he was planning to run in the 1965 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditions of the University of Santo Tomas</span> Traditions of the university

The University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines marks a variety of traditions largely influenced by the Spanish and Filipino Dominican culture. Many are annual events, such as religious assemblies marking the start and end of the academic year, a "welcome walk" for new students, as well as intercollege sport competitions and talent exhibitions. Christmas is celebrated in a month-long festivities culminated by the UST Paskuhan. Many Roman Catholic feast days are also celebrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Santo Tomas</span> Aspect of history surrounding the University of Santo Tomas

The University of Santo Tomas is one of the oldest existing universities and holds the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia. It was founded on April 28, 1611, by the third Archbishop of Manila, Miguel de Benavides, together with Frs. Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina. It was originally conceived as a school to prepare young men for the priesthood. Located Intramuros, it was first called Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario and later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomás in memory of Dominican theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1624, the Colegio was authorized to confer academic degrees in theology, philosophy and arts. On November 20, 1645 Pope Innocent X elevated the college to the rank of a university and in 1680 it was placed under royal patronage.

The University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture is the architectural school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines.

Roque Ruaño Garrido, O.P. was a Spanish priest-civil engineer. He was known after he drew up plans for University of Santo Tomas (UST) Main Building, the first earthquake-shock resistant building in Asia, which was constructed at the Sulucan property of the Dominican order in city of Manila.

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2011. The agenda before the quadricentennial in 2011 included the introduction of new academic programs, improvements in the university's infrastructure, and other projects to raise UST's national and international prominence and promote its role as a social catalyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadricentennial Pavilion</span> Gymnasium in the Philippines

The Quadricentennial Pavilion is a 5,792-seat multi-purpose gymnasium of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) located at the site of the former old Engineering Complex and adjacent football field in front of the Roque Ruaño Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santo Tomas Internment Camp</span> WW2 Japanese internment camp for enemy civilians

Santo Tomas Internment Camp, also known as the Manila Internment Camp, was the largest of several camps in the Philippines in which the Japanese interned enemy civilians, mostly Americans, in World War II. The campus of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila was utilized for the camp, which housed more than 3,000 internees from January 1942 until February 1945. Conditions for the internees deteriorated during the war and by the time of the liberation of the camp by the U.S. Army many of the internees were near death from lack of food.

This is a timeline of the history of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in Asia, comprising important events of the history of the university and of the development of Philippine higher education in general. To read about the background to these events, see History of the University of Santo Tomas. See also the history of the Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas, and the Santo Tomas Internment Camp

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Santo Tomas Field</span> National Cultural Treasure in Manila

The University of Santo Tomas Athletic Field and Open Spaces, located at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, is a National Cultural Treasure as declared by the National Museum of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building</span> Ecclesiastical and educational building in Sampaloc, Manila

The University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building currently houses the Santísimo Rosario Parish, the Central Seminary, and the Faculties of Ecclesiastical Studies of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila. The Parish was canonically inaugurated on April 26, 1942 by Michael J. O'Doherty, the Archbishop of Manila. On January 25, 2010, the National Museum of the Philippines formally declared the Central Seminary Building as a National Cultural Treasure.

The University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines has 22 colleges and 3 secondary school departments. The colleges are interdependent academic constituents of the university that offer undergraduate and graduate programs. Historically, the colleges are named as Faculty, College, Institute, School, or Conservatory. There are 19 colleges that offer civil courses and 3 faculties that also offer ecclesiastical programs.

University of Santo Tomas–General Santos City is a private, Catholic higher education institution in General Santos, Philippines. The UST General Santos is the first UST Campus in Visayas and Mindanao. It is an extension campus of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

References

  1. "National Museum of the Philippines Annual Report 2010" (PDF). National Museum of the Philippines. 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Main Building". UST.edu.ph. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  3. Alcazaren, Paulo (April 25, 2009). "The importance of being Frank". The Philippine Star . Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  4. 1 2 Tiburcio, R.A. (2007). Earthquake resistant: Structural features of the UST Main Building. Thomasian Engineer Journal, 47(2), 20-23.
  5. "Statues atop Main Building". UST.edu.ph. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  6. "Santo Thomas University". PacificWrecks.org. Retrieved December 4, 2009.