Luneta Hotel
The Luneta Hotel is a historic hotel in Manila, Philippines. Named after its location across from Luneta on Kalaw Avenue in Ermita, it is one of the remaining structures that survived the Liberation of Manila in 1945. The hotel was completed in 1919. According to the study by Dean Joseph Fernandez of the University of Santo Tomas, the hotel was designed by the Spanish architect-engineer Salvador Farre. The structure is the only remaining example of French Renaissance architecture with Filipino stylized beaux arts in the Philippines to date. After being closed down and abandoned in 1987, the hotel was relaunched in May 2014.
History
The hotel was designed by the Spanish architect-engineer Salvador Farre in French Renaissance Belle Epoque style and completed in 1919.Initially, the hotel was run by its owner L. Burchfield and general manager F.M. Lozano. Being near the Port of Manila, the hotel was popular with Navy officers and sailors of the Merchant Marines. It gained international fame due to hosting the delegates for the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress, held at Luneta Park, the first International Eucharistic Congress in Asia.
Architecture
Designed by Spanish architect Salvador Farre, the Luneta Hotel on Kalaw Avenue was built in 1919. It symbolized the new influence that the Americans brought to the country. As once described by cultural writer and conservationist Bambi Harper wrote about its architecture.President Dwight Eisenhower wrote about the Luneta Hotel's beauty: