One of the more prominent buildings in the Intramuros area is the Aduana. It also goes by several other names, the Intendencia and the Ayuntamiento. This is the large building in ruins behind the Cruceiro. The Aduana was built in the 1820s and served as the customs office during the Spanish times. Since it was so large, the building also housed several government offices. It was heavily damaged in the bombardment of Manila during World War II but was restored eventually, at one time even housing the Central Bank of the Philippines. A large fire in 1979 destroyed the place leaving what remains today.
Fortunately, the facade of the Aduana still remains and one can get a glimpse of the former grandeur of the this building. One side of the building looks better than the rest and it probably served as the entrance. The other sides of the building were in shambles with the windows grilled that makes them look like prison cells. It has been more than thirty years since the destruction of the Aduana but little has been done to restore it. There used to be signs which say that this will be the future site of the National Archives, but I seriously doubt we’d see it within our lifetime.
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