Throwback: Makati in the ’70s

Before the big malls of today—Glorietta, Greenbelt, Landmark, and SM—the go-to hangout spot was the Makati Commercial Center’s open complex which housed almost everything our present-day malls boast of. In the ’60s and ’70s, the complex featured a park and a variety of dining spots like McDonald’s, Orange Julius, the Makati Automat, and Sulo restaurant. It also housed a number of high end boutiques, then including Milani and Le Donne.

National artist for architecture Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr. designed the Makati Commercial Center, pioneering the outdoor shopping concept. The Quad theater, designed by architect Carlos Arguelles, was also part of the complex.

In the ’90s, the Zobel de Ayalas decided to merge the buildings and other structures within the Makati Commercial Center’s open compound into what is now the Ayala Center, along with the Glorietta and Greenbelt that we know today.

Take a look at what the Ayala Center was like in previous decades:

Sulo restaurant in the background. Photo courtesy of Marlyn Monte Ortiz on Facebook.

Automat restaurant facade. Photo courtesy of Marlyn Monte Ortiz on Facebook.

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