Originally intended as a public library but subsequently built to house the Legislature, this magnificent building designed by Juan Arellano was a casualty during the Battle of Manila in 1945. It was reconstructed in 1946 based on the original plans and remained the august halls of the Senate of the Philippines until it moved out in 1996. It took nearly a decade to transform this architectural treasure into what it is now: the official repository of national arts, treasures, archaeological finds and historical relics. The National Art Gallery of our very own National Museum.
The Old Senate of the Philippines. Fully restored!
Check out this hall where many statesmen of old (a rarity now) used to walk!
Whenever I visit the Museum, I always start with the Hall of Masters. It’s like paying your respects to geniuses the likes of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. If that P150 (US$4) admission fee entitles one to a viewing of Luna’s Spoliarium and Hidalgo’s Assassination of Governor Bustamante ALONE, it would have been worth it. But there’s more. LOTS MORE. One visit won’t be enough.
The ornate ceiling in the Old Senate Hall within the National Art Gallery.
The Marker of the Old Senate Hall of the Philippines.
The Old Senate Hall has been completely restored. Here, where many revered statesmen walked the very floors and whose walls echoed many speeches from statesmen whose names now grace many street signs, shrines and monuments. Thank you, National Museum for allowing us to reconnect with our past. Thank you, Jeremy Barns, Museum Director, and everyone else who made this possible.
How many National Anthems were played in this Hall?
The Entrance to the National Art Gallery.
Lovely Building. Next up: Museum of Natural History. In the same area!
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