Jones Bridge Have you ever wondered why Manila was called names such as Queen of the Pacific, Pearl of the Orient, Venice and Paris of the Orient, Paris on the Prairie, and Most Beautiful City in the Far East? It is because of its architectural beauty, a melting pot of cultures from Europe, America and Asia thus create a fusion of east and west. Bridges were part of Manilas architectural beauty, one of the was the ever-beautiful Jones Bridge. Jones is not just a bridge, its the bridge for it is considered as Manilas Queen of all Bridges. The Jones Bridge was a neo-classical (but more of a beaux-arts) bridge designed by the great Juan Arellano, who also built a number of prominent structures in Manila, namely the Post Office Building, the Old Legislative Building (now the National Museum), and the Metropolitan Theatre. The bridge spans the Pasig River which connects Burgos Drive at one end, and at Plaza Cervantes on the other. The Jones Bridge during the 1920s. Note that the construction of the Post Office Building has just started. © Arkitekturang Filipino The Jones Bridge replaced a much smaller bridge a few meters from the present site. The old Puente de España was built in 1875 during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. During the American occupation, the bridge was widened so it could accommodate more traffic. Then in 1914, non-stop rains damaged the bridges piers. In 1916, the Americans commissioned Juan Arellano, who was then a member of the Bureau of Public Works, to design a bridge. The construction of the new bridge started in 1919 and was completed in 1920. The bridge was inaugurated in 1921 as Jones Bridge, in honor of the American lawmaker William Atkinson Jones
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 20:29:59 +0000