Insular Ice Plant

Insular Ice Plant
Location in the Philippines
Built	1902
Location	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
Coordinates	14°35′44″N 120°58′52″E
Industry	Ice making, Refrigeration, Manufacturing
Products	Ice
Architect	Edgar K. Bourne (consultant)
Style	Mission Revivalist
Owner(s)	San Miguel Corporation (former operator/lessor)
Defunct	1943

The Insular Ice and Cold Storage Plant^[1] also known simply as the Insular Ice Plant was an ice production and storage facility in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It was said that the facility was leased or operated between 1933 up until 1943 by San Miguel Brewery, which had acquired "Oriental Brewery and Ice Co." from Hong Kong back in 1919. It was the oldest ice manufacturing plant in Southeast Asia.^[1]

History

The Insular Ice Plant was built in 1902 at near the southern end of the Puente Colgante (later Quezon Bridge).^[2][3] The United States Congress approved the construction of the plant to "provide supplies comfort" to US troops. The facility is one of the first permanent structure by the Americans during the American administration of the Philippines.^[4]

It was later severely damaged due to the Battle for Manila of World War II, leaving the tall smoke stack. The Insular Ice Plant was later dismantled in the 1980s to make way for the construction of the viaduct of the Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1.^[5] Currently the lot is occupied by the Liwasang Bonifacio station of the Pasig River Ferry Service, and a bus terminal.

Architecture

The Insular Ice Plant was designed by American architect, Edgar K. Bourne, who was also the head of the Bureau of Architecture as per the Philippine Commission during that time. The facility was designed as a Mission Revivalist brick structure with a ten-story high smoke stack which made it a city landmark.^[4]

See also

• Icemaker
• Quezon Bridge
• San Miguel Brewery

References

1. G.R. No. L-19383 (April 30, 1964), United States Lines Co. vs. San Miguel Brewery Inc., Supreme Court of the Philippines, retrieved October 2, 2015
2. Magno, Alexander (July 16, 2015). "Old Documentary Films Show Fierce Battle of Manila". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
3. Ingles, Raul Rafael (2008). 1908: The Way it Really was: Historical Journal for the UP Centennial, 1908-2008 (illustrated ed.). University of the Philippines Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-9715425803.
4. Sahakian, Marlyne (2014). Keeping Cool in Southeast Asia: Energy Consumption and Urban Air-Conditioning (illustrated ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1137308832.
5. Ocampo, Ambeth (July 22, 2015). "'The Iceman Cometh'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 2, 2015.