Malacañang Palace, Manila

Originally a grandee's summer home on the banks of the Pasig River, Malacanang Palace became the residence of the Spanish governor-general in 1863 when an earthquake devastated the Palacio del Gobernador (Governor's Palace) in Intramuros. From then on it has served as the official residence of the country's heads of government, passing on to the Presidents of the Philippines with the gaining of independence. The original 19th-century building was an edifice of singular architectural merit, but that has been all but lost in the many alterations that took place over some 150 years.