Poblacion, Makati

Poblacion is the old downtown area (poblacion) of Makati and its second most important commercial center behind the Makati Central Business District. It is also the city's center of government, culture, history and entertainment and one of the major business districts in Metro Manila.

Poblacion
Barangay
View of the Makati City Hall in Poblacion on the Pasig River
Poblacion
Coordinates: 14°33′56.45″N 121°1′55.48″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Metro Manila
City	Makati
Congressional districts	Part of the 1st district of Makati
Government
• Barangay Chairman	Benhur Cruz
Area
• Total	1.03 km^2 (0.40 sq mi)
Population  (2007)
• Total	17,120
• Density	17,000/km^2 (43,000/sq mi)
ZIP code	1210
Area code(s)	2

Poblacion belongs to the city's West District where it forms part of its Northwest Cluster or "Cluster 3". It is bounded on the west by Nicanor Garcia Street and barangay Valenzuela, on the south by Kalayaan Avenue and the Makati CBD (Bel-Air Village), on the east by Estrella Street and Guadalupe Viejo, and on the north by the Pasig River. It has a total land area of 1,034,200 sq.m., that is 3.80% of the total land area of Makati. 3.20% or 17,120 of Makati residents also live in this area, or 17 residents per 1,000 square meters.

Poblacion houses the upscale Rockwell Center and Century City.[1]

History

Pre-War Period

Barangay Poblacion is the first settlement of the City of Makati. In fact, when one would mention San Pedro Makati during the pre-war period, it indicated Barangay Poblacion. Since it was the original community of the town, it became the center of the local government and has remained as such today.

In 1620 the San Pedro Church was built by the Jesuits as the center of the Catholic Faith of then San Pedro Macati. The residents corrupted this name to “Sampiro” and used this moniker to refer to both the church and the town. When the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish territories in the 18th Century, the Spanish government confiscated all their properties which included San Pedro Macati. This began the turnover of the land from one owner to another until the Zobel de Ayala-Roxas family began its modern development during the latter part of the 19th Century.

Official records show that the first Municipal President of Makati was its illustrious son who hails from Poblacion, Marcelino Magsaysay. Most of the succeeding Municipal Presidents or Mayors were likewise bona fide constituents of Poblacion namely: Eusebio Arpilleda, Hermogenes Santos, Urbano Navarro, Jose Magsaysay, Pedro Domingo, Ricardo Arpilleda, Nicanor Garcia, Jose Villena and Maximo Estrella.

The first Municipal Building called the Presidencia was built in 1918 in the middle of Poblacion at Plaza Trece de Agosto, now J.P. Rizal Street. It is now occupied today by the Museo ng Makati.[2]

Museo ng Makati situated along J.P. Rizal Avenue.

What is now today Kalayaan Avenue was built in the early 20th century as the Meralco streetcar line to Pasig (formerly the Manila Suburban Railway). The building of the line partly led to a residencial and commercial boom in the town proper.

Postwar Period

From 1954 up to the late 1980s, Poblacion was served by the James Rockwell Power Plant owned by Meralco, one of many to be built within the capital region to provide electricity to millions of its residents.

In 1961, then Mayor Estrella ordered the construction of a new municipal building in its present site which was donated by the Ayala Land, Inc. In the early years of the 21st Century, Mayor Jejomar Binay instituted the high-rise 22-storey City Hall of Makati, making Poblacion as the center of Makati’s government then and now.

In 2006 and 2007, local and foreign urban planning consultants and other public and private sector partners conducted a Cultural Mapping Report of the Heritage of Poblacion, through the grant of Instituto Cervantes Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation.

Although Poblacion has kept its old-world charm, it has also embraced modernity and economic development with the presence of a number of commercial establishments in the area, specifically along the main thoroughfares of J.P. Rizal, Makati Ave., P. Burgos and Kalayaan, the Rockwell Center, the A. Venue Mall and Suites and the upcoming development by Century Properties in the old site of the International School called the Century City.[2]

Divisions

Poblacion Makati Skyline

Gramercy Residences located along Kalayaan Avenue.

Century City is a mixed-used development along Kalayaan Avenue. Century Properties bought and developed the lot formerly occupied by the International School Manila. The Gramercy Residences, the Philippines' tallest residential building, as well as the Knightsbridge Residences are situated in this area. Recently, Centuria Medical Makati also opened within the community. The recently opened Century City Mall serves as the area's prime lifestyle center.

Makati City Hall Complex is located along the one-way J.P. Rizal Avenue within the poblacion. The complex houses the 22-storey Makati City Hall, the Old City Hall, the Makati Regional Trial Court, Pio del Pilar National High School, and the Makati City Pumping Station situated along Pasig River.

Makati Heritage District is a heritage area bounded by the streets of J.P. Rizal, P. Burgos, R. Palma and Kalayaan Avenue. The Museo ng Makati, which was built in 1918 and has been used as Makati's town hall from 1918 to 1961, is situated in the poblacion along J.P. Rizal Avenue. The Makati Parish Church, Poblacion River Park, Makati Science High School, Makati City High School and Makati City Public Market are situated in this district.

Makati Commercial District is a commercial area bounded by the streets of Polaris, P. Burgos and Makati Avenue. It is known as the entertainment district of Makati, which restaurants, night clubs and boutique hotels in the city are mostly located in this area. On the west portion of the area, the Antel Lifestyle City, which houses the A. Venue Event Mall, is located.

Picar Place is an upcoming mixed-use development by Picar Development located west of Century City which will contain one of the city's tallest buildings at 312 meters, The Stratford Residences now under construction along Kalayaan Avenue. The area is currently the location of Buddha Bar Manila.

Rockwell Center

Rockwell Center was constructed on a 15.5-hectare lot previously occupied used as a thermal plant operated by the Lopez-owned Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company until its closure in 1994. The project was named after James Rockwell, the Meralco's first president. The lot is bounded by J.P. Rizal Avenue to the north, where it faces the Pasig River, Estrella Street to the east, Rockwell Drive and Amapola Street to the south, and R. Palma Street to the west. Rockwell Center began its construction in 1998. The architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, Merril (SOM) carried out the design under the direction of former Design Partner Larry Oltmanns.[3] Its centerpiece, the Power Plant Mall, opened in December 2000. The Rockwell Center includes high-rise office buildings, condominium towers, a law and business school and a shopping mall. Among the plans for the area is the Lopez Centre, proposed to have a height of over 1000 feet, which would make it the country's tallest building. This design been abandoned in favor of a 19 storey building that will house the Lopez family holdings offices and museum.[4]

San Miguel Village is a residential subdivision developed by Ayala Corporation along J.P. Rizal Avenue and Kalayaan Avenue. It is one of the first subdivisions developed by Ayala in Makati.

References

1. "Brgy. Poblacion Background". Makati City Government. Retrieved March 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
2. "Brgy. Poblacion History". Makati City Government. Retrieved March 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
3. "The Satellite City rises in the metropolis - Philippine Daily Inquirer,". Retrieved 29 November 2012.
4. "The Lopez Tower and Museum breaks ground in Rockwell Center". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2012.