Century-old fire station in Manila demolished

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MANILA, Philippines — One of Manila’s oldest fire stations, the Sta. Mesa Fire Station, was demolished over the past week. Standing since 1919, the century-old structure now lies in ruins.

The plan after demolition? A road widening project along Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard for the construction of elevated expressways in the area. This 8-kilometer elevated expressway is designed to link the NLEX with the Metro Manila Skyway.

Manileños for Heritage, an advocacy group, reported the recent demolition of the fire station, noting that it was the last one built during the American and Prewar era. The first station was designated Station Number 8.

“Located along Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, it not only survived World War II but also preserved original firefighting tools and technologies, offering rare insight into Manila’s early firefighting history. Its destruction is an irreversible loss,” Manileños For Heritage said in a statement on Thursday, June 5. 
  
The group has since condemned the demolition plans for Sta. Mesa Fire Station, saying that it only reflects the government’s tendency to prioritize car-centric infrastructure over the preservation of heritage.

“Once again, our built heritage has been sacrificed in favor of road-widening and transit developments that rarely consider their cultural costs,” it said, stressing how advocates, concerned citizens and professionals “exhausted all options” to save the station.

According to the group, it had taken steps such as filing official communications, running awareness campaigns, gathering support and engaging in public dialogue. However, the demolition proceeded as if their objections had been ignored.

Instead of demolishing the Sta. Mesa Fire Station, Manileños for Heritage proposed relocating the structure and digitally archiving its architectural features. 

This suggestion was submitted to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, but the group said they have yet to receive a response. 

“These options were ignored, and with them, a valuable opportunity to balance heritage preservation and infrastructure development was lost,” the group added. 

Citing the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, it also urged the government to require a 15-day public notice before any intervention, such as demolition, is carried out on structures with potential cultural significance.

The law states that properties at least 50 years old “shall be considered important property unless declared otherwise by the pertinent cultural agency.” 

This means the fire station should have been made a cultural structure and protected from any exportation, modification or demolition. 

The heritage advocacy group explained its members are presently exploring ways to make Sta. Mesa Fire Station a “benchmark for public accountability.” 

It will also resume the digital heritage mapping project in the district, which started in 2023, continuing its practice of monitoring developments at such sites.

One of these developments includes a three-story fire station that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has been planning since 2023 as part of its modernization program. The terms of reference state that the project would cost an estimated P17.93 million. 

According to the group’s review, the new station’s proposed designs “bear no connection to the heritage character or architectural essence of the old Santa Mesa Fire Station.” 

Manileños for Heritage said it will channel its anger into rejecting the “normalization of loss and indifference” toward issues like this.

“Our anger is a form of care. It is a call for a more respectful, collaborative relationship between heritage institutions and citizens, grounded in the law and our collective will to protect what remains. The heritage of our nation’s capital deserves nothing less,” the group added.