Iznart Street, officially known in parts as Fermin Caram Avenue and Ruperto Montinola Street, is a major commercial

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way of transport, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. Originally, the word referred to a main road or open street which was frequented thoroughly. Different terms *Roa ...

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It runs north–south through the district's center, stretching from the Casa Real de Iloilo to Iloilo

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

and extending to the Iloilo Central Market. During the Spanish colonial era, the street was known as ''Calle Iznart'', named after Manuel Iznart, who served as the mayor of Iloilo in the late 1860s. It was one of the city's key commercial and educational hubs. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, during the early years of

American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonization of the Americas, British colonies on the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–17 ...

, Iznart Street served as an extension of Calle Real, running from Plazoleta Gay to the

Arroyo Fountain Arroyo Fountain is a historic monument located in front of Casa Real de Iloilo in Iloilo City Proper, Philippines. The fountain serves as kilometre zero, the benchmark used to measure distances from Iloilo City to other points in Panay Island, ...

Iloilo Provincial Capitol The Iloilo Provincial Capitol is the seat of the provincial government of Iloilo in the Philippines. It is located on Bonifacio Drive in Iloilo City Proper, adjacent to the Casa Real de Iloilo, the former seat of the provincial government since ...

. In 1971, an ordinance was passed renaming certain streets in Iloilo City, including Iznart Street, which was divided into two sections. The northern portion, stretching from Plazoleta Gay to

General Luna Street General Luna Street is a major thoroughfare in Iloilo City Proper in Iloilo City, Philippines. It runs east–west, from the intersection of Aquino and Infante Avenues to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, serving as one of the main thoroughfares con ...

, was renamed in honor of Ruperto Montinola, a former senator and

governor of Iloilo The Governor of Iloilo () is the local chief executive of the Philippine province of Iloilo. The governor holds office at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol () located at Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City. Like all local government heads in the Philippin ...

. Meanwhile, the southern section, from Plazoleta Gay to Blanco Street, was renamed after Dr. Fermin Caram Sr., a Lebanese physician known for his pivotal role in Iloilo during the

cholera epidemic Seven cholera pandemics have occurred in the past 200 years, with the first pandemic originating in India in 1817. The seventh cholera pandemic is officially a current pandemic and has been ongoing since 1961, according to a World Health Organi ...

, his contributions to the

Philippine Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...

, and his service during the Japanese occupation. Despite the official name changes, the street continues to be widely known and referred to by locals as Iznart Street. The southern portion of Iznart Street is located within the Calle Real Heritage Zone.

Landmarks

Some of the prominent landmarks along Iznart Street are: *

* YMCA Building *

Cabalum Western College Cabalum Western College is a non-sectarian, stock institution of higher learning in Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines established by Dr. Jose Cabalum Sr. History On October 5, 1945, immediately after World War II, the National Business School wa ...

* Citadines Amigo Iloilo * Three defunct movie houses: ** Cinema ** Alegro 1 ** Alegro 2 * Unitop Iloilo * Iloilo Central Commercial High School *

Hua Siong College of Iloilo ''Hua Siong'' College of Iloilo or HSCI (), commonly referred to as Hua Siong, is a private college located Iloilo City, Philippines. Founded by the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo as a preparatory school in 1912, it is the fir ...

* Plazoleta Gay * Terranza Residences * Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch * Locsin-Coscuella Building, a heritage building built in 1920. * Iloilo Grand Hotel * Iloilo Central Market * University of Iloilo * Maria Clara Monument

Notes

References

{{Iloilo City Proper Streets in Iloilo City Iloilo City Proper