Mallgoers will have a rare glimpse of Manila at the turn of the 20th century and master architect Daniel Hudson Burham’s plan for the urban development of the city in the “City Beautiful” exhibit at SM’s premiere malls. A joint project of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the SM Supermalls, the exhibit (with Paulo Alcazaren as curator) features old photos, maps, and scale models of old Manila.

Daniel Burnham, after whom the popular park in Baguio City was named for, was commissioned by the American government to develop a plan for the capital of their new colony at the turn of the 20th century. He came to Manila with Pierce Anderson and stayed for six weeks from December 1904 to January 1905, spending his Christmas holidays in Baguio. Impressed by his visit, he wrote in his report, “the dive into the orient has been like a dream. The lands, the people, and their customs are all very strange and of absorbing interest.”

There were five components of Burnham’s plan. First, there was the development of the waterfront and the location of parks and parkways so as to give adequate opportunities for everyone in the city. Burnham also recommended the establishment of a street system, which would secure direct and easy communication from every part of the city to every other section or district. Other parts of his plan included the location of building sites for various activities, and the provision for summer resorts.

Burnham’s plan for Manila has all the elements of a classic City Beautiful plan. It had a central civic core of government buildings arranged in a formal pattern around a rectangular mall, very much different from the Spanish “Law of the Indies.” It was from this plan that some of Manila’s most iconic landmarks were built – Post Office Building, Customs Building (which is now the National Museum), among others. The orientation of the mall was towards the water.

To highlight the view of Manila Bay, Burnham had the area in front of the old Luneta extended a thousand feet, and a hotel and various clubs were proposed around this – Manila Hotel and the Army Navy Club. Radiating from a central core were a series of boulevards laid over an efficient street system, and a series of large parks connected by parkways to provide breathing space for the city.

The plans prepared for Quezon City included the expansion of the original City Beautiful pattern set by Burnham for Manila. The major elements of a grand civic center, parks and parkways, and strong axial/geometric patterns of building groups and open spaces are evident. The Senate and Congress were to be incorporated in a central elliptical area. Two wings radiated from a central boulevard – on one side was the new Malacanang and the Supreme Court complex on the other. Then the Second World War broke out.

The exhibit includes rare photos of old Manila – Burgos and Taft Avenue and Sta. Cruz Manila with kalesas, the Ice Plant, the original Manila City Hall, Fort Santiago, the Manila Cathedral, and residents bathing in the Pasig River. One can also see photos of buildings that were offshoots of the City Beautiful plan – the Luneta Hotel, Metropolitan Theater, Post Office.

City Beautiful is now on exhibit at the SM Mall of Asia until May 21. It will be on display also at the SM Megamall Atrium from May 22 to June 9 and The Block at SM City North EDSA from June 10 to June 30.