Legarda Elementary School

The Legarda Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Sampaloc in the City of Manila. Built in 1922, the school is notable for its main school building that has managed to retain its pre-war architecture, making its building the oldest surviving school building in Manila.[1]

Legarda Elementary School
Mababang Paaralan ng Legarda
Address
J. Fajardo St., Sampaloc, Manila

Philippines
Coordinates14°36′42.91″N 120°59′56.95″E
Information
School typePublic elementary school
Founded1922 (1922)
SongAwit ng Legarda (Song of Legarda)

History

The school was built on the land that was donated by the heirs of Benito Legarda, an eminent legislator and cabinet member of the First Philippine Republic who later became the first Resident Commissioner of the Philippines during the American colonial period. It was in his honor that the school that the school was named after.[1]

Andres Luna de San Pedro, the architect son of painter Juan Luna, designed the school's main building. It became a prominent landmark in the area with its unique Victorian style of architecture which evokes a sense of grandeur.[2]

The school's first principal was Andrea Vitan Arce, a renowned educator and writer. The school also received an early distinction for being a model school in 1924.[3]

During the Japanese Occupation in World War II, the Japanese forces used the school as barracks. Having survived the war, it was subsequently liberated by the Americans during the Battle of Manila, after which it became the headquarters of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division as well as being the 29th Evacuation Hospital for wounded American soldiers. The Philippine Army also made the school its headquarters for a brief time.[3]

Additional school buildings were built in the school grounds to accommodate a growing student population but the original structure has been preserved as a landmark heritage structured cited by the Department of Education and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.[1]

Notable alumni
  • fountain fronting the building facade
  • historical marker
  • grand staircase in the building interior
  • the school building's hallway
  • view of the school building from the open area in the middle of the school complex

References
  1. Historical markers : Metropolitan Manila. National Historical Institute. 1993.
  2. Lico, Gerard (2008). Arkitekturang Filipino: A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the Philippines. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press.
  3. "Legarda Elementary School AVP Slideshow". July 8, 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.