The entire area around the Sta. Cruz church is oozing with colonial charm. Although there has been a lot of modernization going on, a lot of colonial era buildings still stand here in the Sta. Cruz area. In fact just beside the Sta. Cruz church is a large colonial era building called the Roman Santos Building. This was the original site of the Monte de Piedad bank which has moved across the Sta. Cruz Church. It was known as the Caja Ahorros Y Monte de Piedad. It was then sold to the Consolidated Investments Corporation where the building was enlarged.
After which is was sold to Harcienda Magdalena during World War II and after which became the hospital of the Red Cross. Finally it was bought by Roman Santos who the building was named after and was occupied by the Prudential Bank and Trust Company. After the bank was bought by the Bank of the Philippine Islands, the ground floor now serves as a branch of the said bank. This is just one of the many stories which these buildings tell. The building is still in good condition and if it weren’t for the ugly railings on the middle of the road, it would have been a great place to take photos.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/RomanSantosBuilding.kmz}]
Pingback: 1. Introduction to Roman Architecture | World Home Decor