Poblacion, Makati

It is also the city's center of government, culture, history and entertainment and a major business district of Metro Manila.

Most of the succeeding municipal presidents or mayors were likewise bona fide constituents of Poblacion namely: Eusebio Arpilleda, Hermogenes Santos, Urbano Navarro, Jose Magsaysay, Pedro Domingo, Ricardo Arpilleda, Nicanor Garcia, Jose Villena and Maximo Estrella.

The first municipal building, the Presidencia, was built in 1918 in the middle of Poblacion at Plaza Trece de Agosto, now J.P. Rizal Street.

[2] What is now today Kalayaan Avenue was built in the early 20th century as the Meralco streetcar line from Paco to Pasig (formerly the Manila Suburban Railway).

From 1954 up to the late 1980s, Poblacion was served by the James Rockwell Power Plant owned by Meralco, one of many to be built within the capital region to provide electricity to millions of its residents.

In 1961, Mayor Maximo Estrella ordered the construction of a new municipal building in its present site, which was donated by the Ayala Land, Inc.

Although Poblacion has kept its old-world charm, it has also embraced modernity and economic development with the presence of a number of commercial establishments in the area, specifically along the main thoroughfares of J.P. Rizal, Makati Avenue, P. Burgos and Kalayaan, the Rockwell Center, the A. Venue Mall and Suites and the upcoming development by Century Properties in the old site of the International School called the Century City.

It is known as the entertainment district of Makati, which restaurants, night clubs and boutique hotels in the city are mostly located in this area.

Rockwell Center was constructed on a 15.5-hectare (38-acre) lot previously used as a thermal power plant operated by the Lopez-owned Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company until its closure in 1994.

The Rockwell Center includes high-rise office buildings, condominium towers, a law and business school and a shopping mall.

Among the plans for the area is the Lopez Centre, proposed to have a height of over 1000 feet, which would make it the country's tallest building.

Aerial view of Hospital Español de Santiago, 1933
Museo ng Makati along J.P. Rizal Avenue
The old and new Makati City Hall
Poblacion Makati Skyline