McKinley Road

McKinley Road

McKinley Road near Harvard Road
Length 1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Location Makati, Metro Manila
From Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Forbes Park
To Fifth Avenue in Fort Bonifacio

McKinley Road is a tree-lined avenue linking the central business districts of Makati and Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a continuation of Ayala Avenue, south of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which runs for approximately 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) through the affluent neighborhoods of Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village. It is home to the exclusive Manila Polo Club and the Manila Golf and Country Club.

McKinley Road has a residential character dominated by mansions with high walls and elaborate gates. At its centerpiece is the Spanish Mission style Santuario de San Antonio church that faces the San Antonio Plaza, the main public square of Forbes Park. A small arcade stands on the opposite side of the plaza which houses a Rustan's grocery, a gourmet deli, a few cafés and a bookstore. The rest of Forbes Park on both sides of McKinley is closed to non-residents.

History

The road originally served as a northwest-southeast route between Fort McKinley and Pasay.[1] It was an extension of Calzada de Pasay (Pasay Road, now Arnaiz Avenue) that linked Nielson Field in San Pedro de Macati to Fort McKinley.[2] The road's terminus was the Carabao Gate at the entrance to the Fort, on what is now the intersection with Fifth Avenue. After World War II, the airport was decommissioned and was redeveloped along with surrounding estates by its owners, the Zobel de Ayala family. The shorter runway was converted into what is now Ayala Avenue and was extended south towards the new suburban village of Forbes Park. The road was then realigned to meet Ayala and was subsequently named for the U.S military reservation to which it leads, which was, in turn, named after William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, responsible for the U.S. colonization of the Philippines in 1898.

There are two other streets in the area named McKinley: McKinley Parkway, an extension of McKinley Road in Bonifacio Global City; and Upper McKinley Road, an unrelated road on McKinley Hill further south on Lawton Avenue in Fort Bonifacio.

Route description

The intersection at Fifth Avenue is dominated by the Fairway Tower, a luxury condominium on the border of Bonifacio district. The road winds past the southern edge of the Manila Golf Course as it heads toward the club's entrance at Harvard Road. The Manila Polo Club entrance is on the southern side of McKinley opposite the golf course on a small side street not far from Harvard. Continuing a further 400 meters as the road bends slightly to the northwest, it reaches the San Antonio Plaza of Forbes Park. From Banyan Street just past the Plaza to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), McKinley marks the eastern boundary of Dasmariñas Village where several embassies are located. The road terminates at EDSA next to a Shell gas station.

North of EDSA, the road resumes as Ayala Avenue as it heads into the heart of Ayala Center and the Makati CBD. In Bonifacio, it continues as McKinley Parkway which heads east to the SM Aura Premier and Serendra developments.

Transportation

Bonifacio Transport Corporation provides bus service (called The Fort Bus) along McKinley Road to different points in Bonifacio Global City from its terminal at EDSA beside the Ayala MRT Station.

Landmarks

Santuario de San Antonio Church

See also

References

  1. ↑ Map of Ft. McKinley, Pre-1942 published by Philippine Scouts Heritage Society; accessed 2013-10-13.
  2. ↑ Map of Nielson Field published by PacificWrecks.com; accessed 2013-10-13.
  3. ↑ About Our Parish published by Holy Trinity Church; accessed 2013-10-13.