It was reconstructed and restored by the Bureau of the Treasury, a line agency of the Department of Finance, to be its home. Appreciative of the historical and archetypal significance of the Ayuntamiento, the building was reconstructed with the integration of Philippine-Spanish Colonial period design and the functionality of modern architecture. It was destroyed in the 1863 and 1880 earthquakes al
ong with the Manila Cathedral, Palacio del Gobernador, and Real Audiencia. The Cathedral and the Ayuntamiento were reconstructed but again pound into rubble during World War II. The Ayuntamiento was the original Seat of Power in Manila during the Spanish Colonial Period. It was the office of the last Spanish Governor-Generals and there, Spanish soldiers surrendered to the American troops in August 1898. The building became the headquarters of the U.S. colonial government and it housed the top Executive, Legislative and Judicial offices such as the Manila City Hall, and the first Congress, the first Senate, the first Supreme Court, and the first offices of the CSC, DepEd, DOTC, DOJ, DOF, etc. The restoration involved the facade, the grand staircase, the Office of the Governor General, and the Marble Hall -- bringing back the prestige associated with the Seat of National Government during the Spanish Era. It is deemed to be the most authentic and significant restoration ever of a Spanish Era government building (Edificio del Estado). Reconstruction of the Ayuntamiento began in 2009 and was completed in 2013. OWNER:
