Across from Puerta de Sta. Lucia was the AUGUSTINIAN PROVINCIAL HOUSE, an extension of the San Agustin convent, and also known as the Casa Procuracion. It was built from 1894 to 1896 to accommodate more Augustinian missionaries arriving in the Philippines.
The building was designed by Spanish architect Juan Hervas and was
connected to the convent by an ornate, covered walkway that crossed
over Real Street. It was gutted in the 1932 fire leaving only its stone
foundations.
In 1939, the
Augustinians leased the property to George and Lucas Adamson, two Greek
expatriates who began constructing a new building for their
technological school. The institute was founded in 1932 and was first
located in Sta. Cruz, Manila. The school moved to Intramuros after the
Commonwealth Government recognized it as a university.
The Japanese army used the school building for their barracks during
the war. It was destroyed in 1945. Adamson University later moved to
San Marcelino St. in Ermita. In the 1980s, the ECJ Building was erected on the site with a facade patterned after the Augustinian Provincial House. |
