The street was named after Pedro Gil, a Filipino diplomat and legislator from Manila who first gained popularity in the area as a physician. It was previously known as Herran Street, after José Rafael de la Herrán y Lacoste, a Spanish captain (and Mayor of Tondo) during the Battle of Manila Bay.[3]
Route description
From the east, Pedro Gil Street originates at the intersection with Calderon and New Panaderos Streets, fronting the Santa Ana Church in Santa Ana district, where it is divided by a median of greenery and sculptures known as Plaza Felipe Calderon. Heading west, it passes by the Santa Ana Market before it narrows into a four-lane undivided road west of Medel Street. Continuing past old heritage houses and a few commercial establishments, Pedro Gil crosses into the northern portion of San Andres and Paco districts, where it is interrupted by the Paco railway station and Quirino Avenue. The downtown portion of Paco, Ermita, and Malate lie across this intersection, passing by the Paco Church, Robinsons Manila shopping mall, and universities such as the University of the Philippines Manila and Saint Paul University Manila. The Ermita-Malate portion, where the street serves as a boundary, also contains several hotels like the New World Manila Bay Hotel (formerly Hyatt Hotel & Casino Manila). Roxas Boulevard lies at its western end.
The street is mostly a two-way road as its sections between Quirino Avenue and Peñafrancia Street and between Agoncillo Street and Roxas Boulevard are one-way eastbound.
History
The origin of Pedro Gil Street could be traced back to an old road that connected Paco (San Fernando de Dilao) and Santa Ana, based on an 1821 map.[4] In the 19th century, it was extended to the west towards Calle Real (now Del Pilar Street), effectively connecting such then-towns with the old national road.
The road in Malate, Ermita, and Paco was called Calzada de Paco or Calzada de Malate á Paco.[5][6] Later, it was named Calle [de] Herran (after the Spanish captain José de la Herrán, who fought during the Battle of Manila Bay).[3] Through Paco, it was known as Calle Real and past Estero Beata, it was known as Calle Dulumbayan (from dulo ng bayan, meaning "the edge of town"). The name Calle Real also applied to the east up to Santa Ana. Its section leading to Santa Ana was historically known as Carretera de Sta. Ana.[7] Its present-day section, divided by Plaza Felipe Calderon in Santa Ana, was known as Calle Sta. Maria.[8] The street was later extended to the west towards present-day Roxas Boulevard. Its section from General Luna eastwards was also one of the right-of-way alignments of tranvía that existed until 1945.
Its section between General Luna and Tejeron also formed part of Highway 21, which linked Manila to Calamba, Laguna, by circumscribing Laguna de Bay through the province of Rizal.[9]
Herran Street was renamed Pedro Gil Street after the death of its namesake, Pedro Gil, in 1965.[10]
Intersections
The entire route is located in Manila. Intersections are numbered by kilometer post, with Rizal Park designated as kilometer zero.
^Plano de Manila y sus arrabales 1894 [Map of Manila and its suburbs 1894] (Map). 1:5,000 (in Spanish). Manila: Lit De Chofre y Co. 1894. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
^de Gamoneda, Francisco J. (1898). Plano de Manila y sus Arrables [Map of Manila and its suburbs] (Map). 1:10,000 (in Spanish). Retrieved January 14, 2023.
