Tomás Mapúa

Don Tomás Bautista Mapúa (December 21, 1888 – December 22, 1965) was a Filipino architect, educator and businessman from the Philippines. He was the founder and first president of the Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT). Gonzalo T. Vales as co-founder and founding dean of school and co-founder and founding president of Central Colleges of the Philippines, after he established the school on January 25, 1925.Nellist, G. Men of the Philippines: a biographical record of men of substantial achievement in the Philippine islands, Manila 1931 He was the first registered architect in the Philippines and first worked at the Philippine Bureau of Public Works. He later established his own construction company, the MYT Construction Works, Inc.

Biography

Mapúa was born to Juan Mapúa and Justina Bautista de Mapúa on December 21, 1888, in Binondo, Manila. His education started at the Ateneo de Manila University and at the Liceo de Manila, both to finish his primary education. In 1903, he was sent to the United States to complete his high school education as one of the ''pensionado'' students of the United States. The 1903 Pensionado Law awarded university scholarships to the US for exemplary Filipino students. In exchange, they agreed to work on local government construction projects. He completed his secondary education at the Boone’s Preparatory School in Berkeley, California, and with the ''pensionado'' scholarship obtained a degree in architecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.administration (2011)
"History"
Mapua Institute of Technology. Retrieved on 2014-12-21.

Upon his return to the Philippines, he joined the Bureau of Public Works where he initially worked as a draftsman in the agency from 1912 to 1917. He was later appointed as the supervising architect for the Bureau from 1917 to 1928. He spearheaded many government projects including the Philippine General Hospital Nurses Home,"Tomas B. Mapua"
History of Architecture. Retrieved on 2014-12-21. Psychopathic Building (National Mental Hospital) and the School for the Deaf and Blind. He also designed the Manila Central Post Office Building in Ermita, Manila. Tomás became known for his great contributions in the field of architecture.

Around 1916, Mapúa joined the competition for the design of the new school building initiated by the La Sallian Brothers. He won the competition against nine other entries and was awarded with a prize of P5,000.00. (The building, St La Salle Hall, was the only structure from the Philippines to be included in the coffee table book, "1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die: The World's Architectural Masterpieces," authored by Mark Irving and published by Quintessence Books in 2007.)Villalon, Augusto (2009-04-12)
"DLSU building included in int’l best-of list"
. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved on 2014-12-21.

He was also one of the first councilors of the City of Manila. He co-founded and became one of the presidents of the Philippine Institute of Architects. After retiring from public life, he eventually went back to the private sector. Aside from MIT, he led his own construction firm called MYT Construction Works, Inc. His designs for private homes had also been adjudged as among Manila’s beautiful houses before World War II.

Personal life

Mapúa was married to Rita Moya on November 3, 1916. They have three children, Carmen, Oscar, and Gloria.

Death

Mapúa died on December 22, 1965, in Manila, just a day after his 77th birthday.

Legacy

His son Oscar continued his legacy in education by assuming the presidency of the Mapúa Institute of Technology after his death in 1965. Oscar served as the Institute’s president until his demise on March 17, 1998. His son and Tomás’ grandson, architect Oscar Mapúa Jr., succeeded him and was the institute’s executive vice president until December 1999, when the school was acquired by the Yuchengcos.

Misericordia Street in Santa Cruz, Manila was renamed to Tomas Mapua Street in his honor.

Awards

He was awarded a gold medal of honor and a certificate of recognition by the Philippine Institute of Architects. He also received a Cultural Award in Architecture by the city of Manila in 1964.

Works

Tomás Mapúa, the first registered Filipino architect, played a pivotal role in shaping Philippine architecture through his classical and Art Deco designs. His portfolio includes landmark public buildings and educational institutions across the country.

1916: Aduana de Iloilo (Iloilo Customs House)
Located in Iloilo City, this neoclassical building was one of the most important customs facilities outside Manila. Restored in 2018 by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, it stands as a heritage structure of the American colonial era.

1924: St. La Salle Hall, De La Salle University, Manila
Mapúa’s design won a competition for the first permanent building of De La Salle University. Completed in neoclassical style, it features prominent Corinthian columns and a grand symmetrical layout. It is also one of the few Filipino-designed structures featured in the book 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die.

1928: Manila Central Post Office (with Juan M. Arellano and Ralph Doane)
This iconic structure in Ermita, Manila, reflects American-era neoclassicism. Designed in collaboration with prominent architects, the building was restored after World War II and served as the headquarters of the Philippine postal system until a fire in 2023.

1939: Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament, De La Salle University
An Art Deco chapel located within St. La Salle Hall, designed by Mapúa. It became a sanctuary during World War II and retains its original narra pews and religious iconography.

1930: Mapúa Mansion, Taft Avenue, Pasay City
A personal project and home of Tomás Mapúa, this Art Deco house still stands as a tribute to his early experimentation with modernist design.

1930s: Librada Avelino Hall, Centro Escolar University, Manila
Designed as part of the expansion of Centro Escolar University, this building showcases Mapúa’s mastery of neoclassical symmetry and form.

1920–1921: Kalayaan Hall (then Executive Building), Malacañang Complex
This building was originally designed as the Executive Building during the American colonial period, in collaboration with Ralph Doane. Today it houses the Presidential Museum and Library and remains a vital part of the Malacañang Palace compound.

1930s: Philippine General Hospital Nurses’ Home
Built under the Bureau of Public Works, this building served as housing for nurses working at PGH. Mapúa incorporated Italian Renaissance influences into the design.

See also

* Mapua Mansion, the home of Tomas Mapua designed by himself.

References

External links

Mapua Institute of Technology

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mapua, Tomas
20th-century Filipino architects
Filipino educators
People from Binondo
People from Pasay
Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni
1965 deaths
Tagalog people
1888 births
Mapúa University
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
Cornell University alumni
Manila City Council members