1st part (history)

Far Eastern University (FEU) is a proprietary private university in the Philippines located in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila. It was founded in 1934 by Nicanor I. Reyes Sr. In its earliest days, the university first building was a cigarette factory on the corner of Azcarraga (now Claro M. Recto Avenue ) and M. Lorenzo (now Quezon Boulevard ) streets in downtown Manila. Dr. Nicanor I. Reyes Sr. commissioned Pablo Antonio in 1934 to update the old cigar factory into a new building that established a modern and progressive image for FEU. He transformed the factory into a streamlined three-story concrete building (Nicanor Reyes Hall) in the Art Deco style that was the trend in the 1930s. Pablo Antonio showed his personal transition from Art Deco to the International Style through the FEU campus buildings that reflected both the university's and the country's vision.

During World War II, the campus was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army, who left only its shell unharmed. Dr. Nicanor Reyes having been killed during the occupation, Dr. Hermenigildo B. Reyes was appointed the second president of the University when it reopened in 1945.

FEU continued to expand and more buildings were added to the campus. The first building was the Nicanor Reyes Hall followed by Administration Building then the Law Building as the third. In 1940, the FEU East Asia Building was built to home the Girl’s High School then the Science Building was the last addition all designed by Pablo Antonio. Pablo Antonio style was greatly influenced by the Art Deco style which originated in Paris and was popularized by Le Corbusier. It involves geometric shapes used to create futuristic-looking compositions, which can be seen in Antonio's use of clean lines and rectangular masses.