| Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building | |
| Status: | Completed |
| Map Type: | Philippines |
| Owner: | University of Santo Tomas |
| Current Tenants: | UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, UST Office of Alumni Relations, University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters |
| Location: | corner of Ceferino Gonzales and Tamayo Drives |
| Coordinates: | 14.6083°N 120.9861°W |
| Address: | UST, España |
| Location Town: | Sampaloc, Manila |
| Location Country: | Philippines |
| Groundbreaking Date: | February 4, 2010 |
| Start Date: | 2011 |
| Completion Date: | 2014 |
| Opened Date: | August 2014 |
| Floor Count: | 12 |
| Architect: | Abelardo M. Tolentino, Jr. |
One of the major facilities built in the Manila campus of Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, colloquially known as BGPOP, is poised to serve as the meeting place of all members of the alumni in the Philippines and abroad.[1]
The building houses both the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters and UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Previously, it served as the classrooms for UST Senior High School before they relocated to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Building in 2019.[2]
In addition, the center is conceived to house the individual alumni chapters of each faculty and college. The structure honors the name of Blessed Buenaventura García de Paredes, who was a law professor of the University and a Master of the Order of Preachers martyred in 1936 during the religious persecution in Spain.
The site is the current location of UST's original gymnasium, which was the largest in the Philippines when it was built. Given its historic importance to UST, the gym's front and rear façade are kept[3] and the entrance of the alumni center is along Tamayo Drive. The adjacent Olympic-sized swimming pool has remained, yet refurbished.
In June 2010, Fr. Rolando dela Rosa, O.P. visited the Thomasian Alumni based in the United States.[4] He addressed the members of the alumni in the U.S. particularly the Thomasian medical practitioners to invite them to come home and join the festivities for UST's quadricentennial anniversary. This happened during the 18th Annual Grand Reunion and Medical Convention of the UST Medical Alumni Association in America or USTMAAA. During the event, the UST Rector acknowledged the association's pledge of US$1 million for the construction of the Thomasian Alumni Center.
The demolition of the original UST gymnasium started on April 6, 2011. The construction of the alumni center will commence once the original gymnasium had been demolished.[5]
The alumni center will have twelve floors and a mezzanine.[6] The ground floor will feature a grand lobby to serve as the center's main converging point. A souvenir shop, business center, coffee shop, and travel bureau will all be located on this floor. There will also be a mezzanine where the Thomasian Honor Gallery[7] will be placed. The center's grand ballroom will be located on the second floor for homecoming and other events. The third floor will be the location of the Office for Alumni Affairs and the offices of each faculty/college-based alumni associations. There will also be meeting rooms on this floor. The fourth floor will feature function rooms for smaller events and seminars. Lastly, the fifth floor will have hostel facilities for accommodation services for traveling and returning alumni. This floor will also have a spa and wellness center.