RIZAL IN MANHATTAN
In 1887, Dr. Jose Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere was published in Germany. Spanish authorities and clergy reacted to it with intense hostility, calling it subversive, anti-Catholic, and even heretical. The Spanish now viewed Rizal and his writings as a direct threat to their colonial power over the Philippines, especially as discontent and political unrest were starting to foment. Rizal returned to the Philippines briefly but after receiving several threats, he was forced to flee for fear of his life. He undertook a long journey on his way back to Europe, finding himself for a good part of it going through the United States before finally setting sail to Europe on an Atlantic voyage.
On May 13, 1888, Rizal arrived in New York City for the first and only time. During this visit, he stayed at the original marble-clad Fifth Avenue Hotel (pictured above and below) on 200 Fifth Avenue right across from Madison Square in today's Flatiron District. Entries from his diary show rough sketches of Brooklyn Bridge (inaugurated only five years ago on May 1883) and descriptions of the Hudson River as well as a mention of the Statue of Liberty.
On May 13, 1888, Rizal arrived in New York City for the first and only time. During this visit, he stayed at the original marble-clad Fifth Avenue Hotel (pictured above and below) on 200 Fifth Avenue right across from Madison Square in today's Flatiron District. Entries from his diary show rough sketches of Brooklyn Bridge (inaugurated only five years ago on May 1883) and descriptions of the Hudson River as well as a mention of the Statue of Liberty.
Rizal's diary entry on May 16, 1888 shows a sketch of Brooklyn Bridge and a mention of "La estatua dela Libertad" (The Statue of Liberty) under it. He wrote this as he left port on a ship from New York bound for Liverpool.
Learn more about Rizal's time in the United States through this column written by leading Rizal historian and fellow knight, Sir Ambeth R. Ocampo, KGOR on The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
FLATIRON DISTRICT TODAY
Throughout the years, the area Rizal came to know has transformed considerably. 200 Fifth Avenue no longer houses the Fifth Avenue Hotel – that closed in 1908. Instead, it became the location of the International Toy Center before again transforming to an office building. The Fifth Avenue Hotel on the other hand resurrected recently on 28th Street, run by new management and seeking to revive the grandeur of the first hotel that bore the same name.
While Madison Square and the surrounding Flatiron District have undergone many changes since 1888, one thing remains true: its significance to the Filipino community still stands. Each year in June, the Philippine Independence Day Parade – the largest outside of the Philippines – marches down Madison Avenue and ends at a concert and food festival right by Madison Square Park. In 2025, performers like Martin Nievera and BINI graced the stage as hundreds of Filipino-American organizations and community leaders paraded unto the area.
While Madison Square and the surrounding Flatiron District have undergone many changes since 1888, one thing remains true: its significance to the Filipino community still stands. Each year in June, the Philippine Independence Day Parade – the largest outside of the Philippines – marches down Madison Avenue and ends at a concert and food festival right by Madison Square Park. In 2025, performers like Martin Nievera and BINI graced the stage as hundreds of Filipino-American organizations and community leaders paraded unto the area.
234 FIFTH AVENUE
With this history in mind, the Manhattan Chapter of the Knights of Rizal, in close association with the New York State Area Command, deliberately chose to be headquartered at 234 Fifth Avenue to mark our commitment to be close to the heart of Filipino heritage in Manhattan:
- Four blocks south of us is 200 Fifth Avenue, the site at which Rizal stayed during his time in New York City;
- An avenue east of us is Madison Avenue, the parade route of the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade;
- A block north of us on Fifth Avenue and 28th Street is the renewed Fifth Avenue Hotel, the spiritual inheritor of the hotel Rizal stayed at in 1888; and lastly,
- Directly north of us, past the Empire State Building and Bryant Park, is 556 Fifth Avenue, the site of the Consulate General of the Philippines, our home away from home.
