One of the major facilities built in the Manila campus of Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, colloquially known as BGPOP, is poised to serve as the meeting place of all members of the alumni in the Philippines and abroad.[1]
| Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building | |
|---|---|
.svg)  | |
| Alternative names | Thomasian Alumni Center |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type |
|
| Location | corner of Ceferino Gonzales and Tamayo Drives |
| Address | UST, España |
| Town or city | Sampaloc, Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°36′30″N 120°59′10″E / 14.6083°N 120.9861°E |
| Current tenants | UST Office of Alumni Relations, UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters |
| Groundbreaking | February 4, 2010 |
| Construction started | 2011 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Opened | August 2014 |
| Owner | University of Santo Tomas |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 12 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Abelardo M. Tolentino, Jr. |
The building houses both the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters and UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Previously, it served as the classrooms for UST Senior High School before they relocated to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Building in 2019.[2]
In addition, the center is conceived to house the individual alumni chapters of each faculty and college.[1] The structure honors the name of Blessed Buenaventura García de Paredes, who was a law professor of the University and a Master of the Order of Preachers martyred in 1936 during the religious persecution in Spain.
The site is the current location of UST's original gymnasium, which was the largest in the Philippines when it was built. Given its historic importance to UST, the gym's front and rear façade are kept[3] and the entrance of the alumni center is along Tamayo Drive. The adjacent Olympic-sized swimming pool has remained, yet refurbished.[3]
History
editIn June 2010, UST Rector Rolando dela Rosa. visited the Thomasian alumni based in the United States.[4] He addressed the members of the alumni in the U.S. particularly the Thomasian medical practitioners to invite them to come home and join the festivities for UST's quadricentennial anniversary. This happened during the 18th Annual Grand Reunion and Medical Convention of the UST Medical Alumni Association in America or USTMAAA. During the event, the UST Rector acknowledged the association's pledge of US$1 million for the construction of the Thomasian Alumni Center.
Construction
editThe demolition of the original UST gymnasium started on April 6, 2011. The construction of the alumni center will commence once the original gymnasium had been demolished.[5]
Facilities
editThe alumni center has twelve floors and a mezzanine. The ground floor features a grand lobby that serves as the center's main converging point. The center's grand ballroom is on the second floor. The third floor is the location of the Office for Alumni Affairs and the offices of each faculty/college-based alumni association. The center has hostel facilities for accommodation services for traveling and returning alumni.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Father Rector's Message to USTMAA's 16th Grand Reunion Archived August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved February 10, 2011
- ^ "New building welcomes 3,531 SHS students". September 7, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Alumni Center, UST marker, 'Simbahayan' launched, Retrieved February 10, 2011
- ^ UST Rector visits Thomasian Alumni in the US Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved February 10, 2011
- ^ 78-year-old gymnasium demolished, Retrieved May 23, 2011