What it used to be...

I have just reported about the latest fire that razed the northern part of the commercial center in Dumaguete which is that strip of stores leading to the corner of Silliman Avnue and Perdices Street.
It is a location that one can never miss, if one is from Dumagtuete, or was a student of Silliman.
The site of the fire is just a few meters away from the Gate of Opportunity, which is the welcome monument of Silliman University.
The establishments that were gutted down were part of the city's history.
It had been the structures that greeted student-passers by, or just ordinary visitors who just arrived from the Dumaguete pier.
Those razed were Rosante, a restaurant that used to offer snacks for students like pizza, and siopao.
Also razed were Marjories Boutique, owned by the Yee family and run by Marjorie (my sister-in-law) and Em-em (my brother).
On the Silliman Avenue side, razed to the ground was the Flores apartment. The unit fronting the road was a spa, Body and Sole.
Spared was Jo's Chicken Inato because of the space that divided the apartment from the chicken restaurant, plus the high protective firewall which prevented the fire from spreading further east.
By fate, not long ago, I went around the city with my camera and took pictures of these historic sites of the city where I grew up.
I took shots of commercial establishments, including those that were victimized by the latest fire.
So, for posterity, I am placing photos of these historic structures here in my blog because it will forever remain a memory.
For certain, there will be new buildings that will replace them, but it will never be the same as that which gave Dumaguetenos so much memories of their lives when they used to pass and stroll along these stores.