The Calvo Building is a historic building along no. 266 Escolta corner Soda Streets,

Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, Philippines. Built in 1938, owned by Doña Emiliana Mortera vda. De Calvo and Angel Calvo, it is an outstanding mix of Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical architecture, designed by Fernando H. Ocampo. Being in one of Manila's business districts, it served as the home of many businesses and establishments. It was the home of radio station Robert La Rue "Uncle Bob" Stewart's Republic Broadcasting service, a precursor of DZBB-AM and

GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...

. Other businesses that occupied the building are as follows: * Philippine Bank of Commerce * Sabater Optical * Luisa & Sons, a pre-war soda fountain house * Aquino & Lichauco Attorneys-at-Law * Araneta & Company * MARECO Recording Studio * LR Villar Music Store * Sorriente-Santos retail department store chain- originator of the "Buy-one, Take-one" * Torino Restaurant * Peacock Garden * Syyap's Inc. * Botica de Sta. Cruz * Esso & Company Inc. * The Idol Shop * Wah Yuen Hotpot & Seafood Restaurant * Filipino Theatrical Enterprises During the Japanese occupation, it was used by the Japanese Imperial forces. It was damaged in the Liberation of Manila in 1945, and was restored in 1946. Today it houses UNO Restaurant, Mercury Drug Store, Tropical Hut and the Escolta Commercial Association. It also contains one of the country's oldest brass-cage Otis elevators. It is also known to be the only building in prewar Escolta to be recessed from the street, as it was a Tranvia flagstop. It now houses the Calvo Building Museum which contains memorabilia from the country's specially Manila's prewar commerce and industry, early theater and entertainment, early printing and ephemera, artifacts from the Manila Carnival and other vestiges of the city's storied past. Gusaling Calvo NHCP Historical Marker

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

was installed by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

on August 14, 2018.

Details

File:Calvo Building details.JPG, The building's architectural details File:Calvo Building details 2.JPG File:Calvo Building (Escolta, Binondo, Manila; 2014-11-09).jpg File:9555Santa Cruz Binondo, Manila 30.jpg File:Calvo building museum interior.jpg, Interior of the Calvo Building Museum

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Binondo Buildings and structures completed in 1938 20th-century architecture in the Philippines {{Philippines-struct-stub Museums in Manila Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz, Manila