By Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Stuart Hall’s oldest picture found in the CPU Archives.

The 24-hectare campus of Central Philippine University is now adorned with many buildings in which the latest to be constructed this 2019 is the 5-storey Senior High School Building. But do you know the first ever concrete building that was constructed on campus? The answer is the Stuart Hall which was built from 1913 to 1914. First called as the Principal’s Residence, it is the oldest edifice in the campus of CPU.

Before the Principal’s Residence was constructed, all the buildings in the campus were made with bamboo and nipa materials. Later the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society sent $6,000 for the construction of the residence of the principal of Jaro Industrial School.

This first-ever concrete edifice were lovingly constructed by the students taking up the House-building subject under the direction of Rev. Dr. Francis Rose and Rev. Dr. William Valentine. The plumbing and the electric wiring were installed by the American Baptist missionaries themselves. Rev. Valentine, his wife Ina Jane and their family were the first residents of this building. Rev. Valentine was the principal of Jaro Industrial School up to 1915. The next residents were Rev. Dr. Rose and his wife Gertrude. Dr. Rose became the principal up to 1916 when Rev. Valentine transferred to Negros.

The longest residents of the Principal’s Residence were Dr. Harland Stuart, his wife Marion Guendolen and their children. When they occupied it, it was renamed as the President’s House. They resided there from 1922 to 1938. Dr. Stuart was the last principal of Jaro Industrial School and the first president of Central Philippine College. He had the distinction of being the only missionary who served CPU who graduated his Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the famous Harvard University. While he was still alive later on in 1965, CPU gave him a Doctor of Laws, honorary degree. He is best remembered as the one who engineered the building of Franklin, Weston, Valentine, and Roblee Halls and the Iloilo Mission Hospital. Dr. Rose was the architect who drew up the plans of these buildings. They were all constructed of reinforced concrete.

When the Stuarts left, it was occupied by the American missionaries – James Howard Covell and Charma Marie Moore Covell. It was then renamed as Mission Administration and Residence Hall. They stayed there until they evacuated to Hopevale, Tapaz, Capiz during World War II where they were later martyred.

It is good to note that this Principal’s Residence/President’s House had a unique feature, though it is not used now. This is the only building from the period of the American missionaries that has a cistern tank below it. It is about 20 cubic meters which can hold more than 5,000 gallons of water. The rain catchment system that the missionaries built is a marvel of engineering, and of forward thinking. This teaches us that it is practical to have a rain catchment system in a country that has a long rainy season. This is also one way of conserving water and being prepared for El Niño time.

During World War II, the Stuart Hall was gutted by fire but its basic structure remained. It was repaired after World War II and it became a missionary residence once again.

Because of the meritorious service given by Dr. Harland Stuart to Central Philippine University, the Principal’s Residence was renamed as Stuart Hall after World War II and it was then subsequently repaired. The exact date of the renaming cannot be ascertained as of now.

Currently, the Stuart Hall is the home of the Student Service Enterprise in the first floor. The second floor is home to the Legal and Technical Office, Office of the Safety Officer, Purchasing Office, and the CPU Republic.

During the presidency of Dr. Agustin A. Pulido, the upper floor was the home of the Office of the Social Sciences and Social Work Departments, and also the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. While during the presidency of Dr. Juanito M. Acanto, the second floor was occupied by the Student Affairs Office, Chaplain’s Office and the Convention Baptist Ministers Association Office.

The next time you pass by the Stuart Hall, may you marvel at the quality of the workmanship that has withstood the many earthquakes and natural calamities from 1914 up to 2019. If this 105 year-old building could just talk, it has many stories to tell – from the time when this institution was established as Jaro Industrial School , Central Philippine School until its transition to Central Philippine College and then finally to Central Philippine University. It bears a concrete testimony of God’s goodness, faithfulness and mercy to CPU all throughout these years.

 

 

References:

Linnea A. Nelson and Elma S. Herradura, Scientia et Fides The Story of Central Philippine University, 1991, p.26, p.376.

Harland Stuart, Wall of Remembrance.