Description of the attraction
The unusual architecture of the Ocampo Pagoda, located on Paterno Street in the Manila district of Kuiapo, attracts the eyes of everyone who happens to be near it. Built in 1935, it looks like a Chinese temple with a tower, which in turn resembles a medieval castle - a fine example of the architectural style "when the West meets the East." Once the entire territory on which the pagoda and nearby houses stand today belonged to the influential businessman Don Jose Mariano Ocampo. A lawyer by training, he successfully traded in real estate. He also built a pagoda - to decorate his wonderful garden and at the same time serve as the office of his real estate company.
Don Ocampo was very fond of art, in particular, he had a magnificent collection of Filipino paintings, which at one time adorned the interior of the pagoda. In addition, he was extremely fond of the art of the East - despite the fact that he had never been to Japan, he dreamed of having his own Japanese pagoda. After carefully studying all the available photographs and drawings from magazines and books, Ocampo began to thoroughly develop the project of the pagoda. He hired the best engineers of the day, who built one of the most interesting landmarks in modern Manila. But just a couple of years after the completion of the construction, the Second World War broke out, and the pagoda began to be used as a bomb shelter.
The amazing building and the surrounding garden were able to survive the numerous bombings and destruction of the war years, but they could not resist the times of mercantilism and inattention. Ocampo's descendants sold the property of their ancestor, and today there is no longer the garden that once flourished around the pagoda, and the new owners dismantled the sculptures that used to decorate the garden itself. The pagoda has turned into a boarding house for sailors looking for work and is in a dilapidated state. In 1992, during a strong earthquake, part of the tower collapsed onto the roof. Unfortunately, the high cost of renovation work does not yet allow the current owners of the pagoda to put it in order.
Interestingly, some sculptures have survived to this day, but to see them, you will have to wander around the area: from Paterno Street you need to turn left to De Gazmen Street, then left again to a narrow street starting immediately behind the bridge. It is along this street that there are religious sculptures that once served as the pride of the Ocampo Garden.
