The city of Makati wasn’t always the busy central business district it is today—before the presence of skyscrapers and shopping malls, it was merely empty grasslands. Over time, the city has evolved from an airport to a prime real-estate spot, as well as the busiest city in the country.
See what Makati has looked like through history.
1) Nielson Airport (now Ayala Triangle) under construction
2) The Manila International Air Terminal in Makati
3) The beginnings of Makati we know now
4) The iconic façade of Rustan’s Department Store
5) An aerial view of Forbes Park in the ’60s
6) Three men along Ayala Avenue
7) Makati policemen next to a police wagon
8) Christmas decorations on Ayala Avenue
9) The Rizal Theater
10) Buendia Avenue
11) An aerial view of Makati in the ’60s
12) Makati Medical Center under construction
13) Poblacion in the ’60s
14) A street scene along J.P. Rizal Avenue
15) Passengers lining up at the Love Bus terminal
16) The QUAD in 1977
17) A lady in front of the Makati Commercial Center
18) Tesoro’s in the ’70s
19) The Insular Life building
20) A street scene in 1973
21) An aerial view of Ayala Avenue in the ’70s
22) The eagle statue at EDSA-Guadalupe
23) SM Makati in the ’80s
24) A crowded Rustan’s Department Store
25) A newly opened Makati Cinema Square
26) Ayala Avenue in the ’80s
27) The Hotel InterContinental Manila
28) A double-decker bus along Ayala Avenue
29) The Rustan’s parking lot in the early ’90s
30) Ayala Avenue in the ’90s
This story originally appeared on Esquiremag.ph. Minor edits have been made.
