Powerhouse Journey : Plaza Moraga

Isa sa mga famous Plaza namakikita sa Escolta ang Plaza Moraga.

Ito na ang Plaza Moraga namakikita sa dulo ng Calle Escolta.

Anu nga ba ang kasaysayan sa Plaza Moraga?

Plaza Moraga circa 1926-1928

Plaza Moraga was the site of the very first ice cream parlor in the Philippines, Clark's Cafe, which created a commotion when it opened in 1899. But of course, what made this area truly popular is Escolta, which means escort in Spanish. During the British occupation from 1762 to 1764, this street was favored by the British Commodore as a convoy route.

My Plaza Moraga shoot March 2012

And as everyone knows, this thoroughfare has since become Manila's premier shopping center; that is, until the malls started sprouting all over the metropolis. Except for the Savory Restaurant that's still there and doing a brisk business, some of the well-known establishments that used to be in Escolta were Botica Boie, Heacock’s, Alonzo, Estrella del Norte, Dencia’s Pansit Malabon, Max’s Fried Chicken, and Hen. The first fully air-conditioned commercial building in the Philippines, the Crystal Building, still stands on this street but has been renamed Philippine National Bank Building. It now houses the City College of Manila.

To the left at the stop light is Plaza Cervantes where the First National City Bank of New York and the Bank of the Philippine Islands are located. A fellow blogger who used to work at the Bank of the Philippine Islands, Amadeo of The Ignatian Perspective, once shared an interesting trivia about this building.

He said, "During that big earthquake in the late '60s, part of the façade of that Plaza Cervantes building moved about an inch or two, noticeable only from the inside because of the cracked floor. So, one wonders if that building was allowed to be used soon after that. But it definitely was a landmark building site, as gleaned from its history."

Although the building remains standing to date, I'm uncertain if it's fully occupied. Plaza Cervantes seems dusty because of vehicular traffic, and not too many people can be seen in the area as compared to the neighboring streets even during the busy office hours.

Up ahead from Plaza Moraga, on both sides of Paredes Street (formerly Rosario) are rows of numerous banks; at its end is Binondo Church.

| Sign Post : The Chinese-Filipino Friendship arch was built in the 1970s, and serves as the entrance to Manila Chinatown.

Plaza Moraga - Powerhouse Journey End.

Abangan ang ikalabing-isa yugto ng Powerhouse Journey :Simbahan ng Quiapo

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History credit to the owner.

Old Photo Credit to the owner