The Mansion, Baguio City Postcard

The postcard shows the famous gate of The Mansion in Baguio City. The elaborate main gate, made of ornate ironwork, is said to be a replica of one of the main gates at Buckingham Palace in London. I have seen the Buckingham Palace front gate, but it does not look like The Mansion gate.

The Mansion, Baguio City Postcard

SOURCE:
Mansion House, Baguio City Wikipedia Entry

The Mansion, Baguio City Postcard

The postcard shows The Mansion in Baguio city. The Mansion is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. The Mansion was built in 1908 as the official summer residence for the US Governors-Generals who were the American administrators for the Philippines. The name is derived from the summer cottage in New England of Governor-General William Cameron Forbes during whose administration the original Mansion House was built.

The Mansion, Baguio City Postcard

It was badly damaged during the Second World War and was rebuilt and improved in 1947. Since then, it has served as the holiday home and working office for each President of the Philippines during his or her visits to Baguio.

SOURCE:
Mansion House, Baguio City Wikipedia Entry

Malacañang Palace Postcard

The postcard shows Malacañang Palace as seen from the Pasig River. Malacañang Palace, located along the north bank of the Pasig River in Manila, is the official residence of the President of the Philippines.

Malacañang Palace Postcard

The palace was originally a summer home built in 1802 by Spanish aristocrat Don Luis Rocha, which was then subsequently purchased by an official and then purchased by the state. When the Philippines came under American rule following the Spanish-American War, Malacañang Palace became the residence of the American Governor-General.

TRIVIA:
* Malacañang Palace is depicted on the verso (back) side of the present-day 20-peso bill.
* The former San Miguel Brewery Building was demolished upon expansion of the palace, overseen by the then First Lady Imelda Marcos.

RELATED ENTRY:
UPDATE: San Miguel Brewery Postcard

SOURCE:
Malacañang Palace Wikipedia Entry

Buckingham Palace Postcard

The postcard shows an aerial view of the Buckingham Palace and palace grounds. I had the chance to visit the palace during my UK visit in 2004, and both the facade and the interiors are really, really grand and magnificent. Really fit for a king/queen.

Buckingham Palace, located in the City of Westminster, is the official London residence and the administrative headquarters of the British Monarch. Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

Buckingham Palace Postcard

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.

SOURCES:
Buckingham Palace Wikipedia Entry
The Royal Residences: Buckingham Palace

Manila Central Post Office Postcard

The postcard shows the Manila Central Post Office and the Liwasang Bonifacio plaza (now known as Plaza Lawton). Manila Central Post Office, located in the Intramuros district of Manila, at the bank of the Pasig River, is the central post office of the city of Manila and the headquarters of the Philippine Postal Corporation.

The post office building was designed by Filipino architect Juan Marcos de Guzman Arellano and built in neoclassical architecture in 1926. It was severely damaged in World War II, and rebuilt in 1946 preserving most of its original design.

Manila Central Post Office Postcard

Daniel Burnham's proposal of the Post Office Building at its current location was due to two reasons: (1) the Pasig River provides an easy means of transporting mails, and (2) lying at the south end of the Taft Avenue axis, it is accessible on all sides, i.e., from the direction of Quiapo, Binondo, Malate and Ermita.

This impressive Graeco-Roman building was designed by Juan Arellano. Built in 1926 in the amount of one million pesos, it was considered as Arellano's magnum opus. A stately-looking building, its design is a perfect example of classic planning employing axial asymmetry and the classical Ionic order including the mouldings and ornaments.

SOURCES:
Manila Central Post Office Wikipedia Entry

The Imperial Tapestry: American Colonial Architecture in the Philippinesby Norma I. Alarcon, Fuap, page 141