Manila had been the center of
Spanish activity in the Far East for almost 300 years, and its
galleon trade had seen it become widely recognized as the "Pearl of the
Orient". Its loss to the Americans in the first Battle of Manila,
saw it become a display case for fresh ideas of American commerce,
social, town and urban planning, superimposed on an old-world European
charm. WWII would bring its almost total devastation, and its
rebuilding during the fledgling years of the new Republic would never
recapture the magnificence of the pre-war architecture and
charm.