Del Pilar Street

M.H. del Pilar Street
Del Pilar Street immediately south of Plaza Nuestra Señora de Guía near Ermita Church
Former name(s)	Calle Real (until 1921)
Namesake	Marcelo H. Del Pilar
Maintained by	Department of Public Works and Highways - South Manila District Engineering Office[1]
Length	1.895 km (1.177 mi)[2]
Location	Manila
From	N155 (Kalaw Avenue) in Ermita
Major junctions	N156 (United Nations Avenue) Padre Faura Street Pedro Gil Street Remedios Street
To	N140 (Quirino Avenue) in Malate

Marcelo H. del Pilar Street, also known as M.H. del Pilar Street or simply Del Pilar Street, is a north–south road running for 1.895 kilometers (1.177 mi) connecting Ermita and Malate districts in Manila, Philippines. It is a two-lane street which carries traffic one-way southbound from Kalaw Avenue in Rizal Park to Quirino Avenue just across from the Ospital ng Maynila. It was formerly called Calle Real.^[3]

Calle Real

The street marks the original shoreline of Manila Bay as it existed during the Spanish colonial period. It was then known as Calle Real (Spanish for "royal street") which served as the national road that linked Manila with the southern provinces. The old coastal highway ran from Ermita to Muntinlupa passing through Pasay (where it is now known as Harrison Avenue), Parañaque (now known as Elpidio Quirino Avenue), and Las Piñas (now known as Diego Cera Avenue and Alabang–Zapote Road).

The current shoreline is about 180 meters (590 ft) west of Roxas Boulevard (formerly Dewey Boulevard), which was reclaimed in the early 1900s during the American colonial period. As with most other streets in Manila, it was renamed in 1921 after a Filipino writer and patriot, Marcelo Hilario del Pilar.^[4] It was also one of the right-of-way alignments of tranvía that existed until 1945.^[5]

Landmarks

Notable sites that are presently located on Del Pilar Street include the Ermita Church, LandBank Plaza, the Malate Church, Gaiety Theater as well as several hotel buildings such as the New World Manila Bay Hotel (formerly Hyatt Hotel & Casino) located at the intersection of Pedro Gil Street and Diamond Hotel.