Main Building (University of Santo Tomas)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, O.P.
, is the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines. Ruaño was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright
's Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
.
. 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
. 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 patio
s. 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. 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:
, they were installed between 1949 and 1953.
), 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.
At the height of World War II
, after the invasion of the Philippines and occupation of Manila
by the Japanese, they converted UST into an internment camp for 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, 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 gathered the remaining internees in the nearby Education Building and negotiated for them to rejoin Japanese forces in the south of the city in exchange for the internees. A plaque dedicated in 1954 commemorates the event.
After the war, independence was granted by the United States to the Philippines. UST resumed operation and continued to hold classes there. The university and the building was visited by Pope Paul VI
in 1970 and Pope John Paul II
in 1995 as UST was host of World Youth Day 1995
.
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
(UST) in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
functions as the university's administrative center and home of the Faculty of Civil Law
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law or "UST Law" , is the law school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
, Faculty of Pharmacy
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Pharmacy
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....
and the College of Science
University of Santo Tomas College of Science
The University of Santo Tomas College of Science, popularly known as "UST Science", is the Pure Sciences school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
. The Main Building is also the home of the Museum of Arts and Sciences
UST Museum of Arts and Sciences
The University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences is the oldest existing museum in the Philippines. Started as a Gabinete de Fisica, an observation room of mineral, botany and biology collections in the 17th century...
.
Building
The building, designed by Fr. Roque RuañoRoque Ruaño
Rev. Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. was a Spanish priest-civil engineer. He was known after he drew up plans for University of Santo Tomas 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.-Early...
, O.P.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, is the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines. Ruaño was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, was created in the late 1880s at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of western visitors to Japan. The hotel site is located just south of the Imperial Palace grounds, next to the previous location of the Palace moat...
.
Design and structure
In 1920, Fr. Ruaño, O.P. was assigned to draw up plans for the UST Main Building to be constructed at the Sulucan property of the Dominican OrderDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. 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
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
of September 1, 1923 which flattened Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. 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 patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
s. 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. 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
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering, or "UST-Eng'g", is the engineering school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
, Manuel Mañosa, this is how it is divided:
- four corner units
- two midsection units (rear and front entrance)
- one tower (including two elevator cores)
- one entrance canopy
- a total of 26 units
- seven units for P. Noval side
- seven units for Gov. Forbes (now Arsenio H. Lacson) side
- six units for Dapitan side
- six units for EspañaEspaña BoulevardEspaña Boulevard is the main thoroughfare of Sampaloc district, Manila and the extreme western section of Quezon City. It is an 8-lane divided arterial road and is a component of one of the radial roads of Metro Manila — Radial Road 7 or R-7. España's name is taken after the Spanish name of...
side
- four middle section (or paraninfo)
- two stair section adjacent to tower and elevator core
Statues
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 ArchitectureUniversity of Santo Tomas College of Architecture
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....
, they were installed between 1949 and 1953.
- Surrounding the clock, the so-called "Tria Haec" are three statues representing, from left to right:
- Hope
- Faith (on top of the clock)
- Charity
- To the right of the Tria Haec are theologians and historians:
- Saint AugustineAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
- Raymond of PeñafortRaymond of PeñafortSaint Raymond of Penyafort, O.P. is a Dominican friar who compiled the Decretals of Gregory IX, a collection of canon laws that remained part of church law until the Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1917...
, O.P. - Vincent of BeauvaisVincent of BeauvaisThe Dominican friar Vincent of Beauvais wrote the Speculum Maius, the main encyclopedia that was used in the Middle Ages.-Early life:...
, O.P
- Saint Augustine
- To the right of the theologians and historians, facing Padre Noval Street are the tragedians:
- Pedro Calderón de la BarcaPedro Calderón de la BarcaPedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño usually referred as Pedro Calderón de la Barca , was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. During certain periods of his life he was also a soldier and a Roman Catholic priest...
- SophoclesSophoclesSophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
- William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca
- To the left of the Tria Haec are the philosophers:
- AristotleAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
- Saint Albert the GreatAlbertus MagnusAlbertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
- PlatoPlatoPlato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
- Aristotle
- To the left of the philosophers and facing Arsenio Lacson Avenue are the playwrights:
- Lope de VegaLope de VegaFélix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
- AristophanesAristophanesAristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
- MolièreMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
- Lope de Vega
History
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 LettersUniversity of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, popularly known as "UST Artlets" or "UST AB", is the liberal arts college of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
), Faculties of Medicine
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery is the medical school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
and Pharmacy
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Pharmacy
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....
, Faculty of Engineering
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering
The University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering, or "UST-Eng'g", is the engineering school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines....
and the College of Education
University of Santo Tomas College of Education
The University of Santo Tomas College of Education, popularly known as "UST-Educ", is the teacher education/nutrition and dietetics/library and information science school of the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest and the largest Catholic university in Manila, Philippines...
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.
At the height of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, after the invasion of the Philippines and occupation of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
by the Japanese, they converted UST into an internment camp for 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
University of Santo Tomas Hospital
The University of Santo Tomas Hospital is located inside the España, Manila campus of University of Santo Tomas...
) and other buildings.
On February 3, 1945, 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 gathered the remaining internees in the nearby Education Building and negotiated for them to rejoin Japanese forces in the south of the city in exchange for the internees. A plaque dedicated in 1954 commemorates the event.
After the war, independence was granted by the United States to the Philippines. UST resumed operation and continued to hold classes there. The university and the building was visited by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
in 1970 and Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1995 as UST was host of World Youth Day 1995
World Youth Day 1995
World Youth Day 1995 was a Catholic youth festival that took place from January 10–15, 1995 in Manila, Philippines. It was the first time for an Asian country to host the event...
.