What’s behind Malabon’s most photographed heritage houses? Richard Bautista, heritage architect, conservationist, local historian and pro-bono tour guide, shares some of the stories that make these landmark homes part of the city’s living history.
- Paez Ancestral House. Built by Don Lucino Paez in the 1870s and extended in 1877, this house had a cameo role in the Eddie Romero 1975 movie, “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?” It once played host to national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
- Luna House. David Luna, married to Andrea Paez, built this house with an intricate second-story façade between 1898 and 1916. Among the works done on it were ceiling paintings by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo who had courted one of the Luna women. Bautista said the ceiling could have been done before 1917, when Amorsolo got married to another woman.
- Benedicto-Luna House. This house, completed in 1916, stands out because of its three-storey level. In one of her stories, writer Gilda Cordero Fernando recounted life in this house where her family stayed during the Second World War, her mother being a Luna.
- Lao-Luna House. Now owned by the Teodoros, the house was built in the 1930s by Jose Luna, the eldest son of David and Andrea. It still retains its stately features and remains above street level despite the road fronting it being elevated several times.
- Borja House. Completed in November 1923, this house has ornately carved wall transoms (calados) in floral design. The ceilings have floral paintings at the borders.
The meticulous upkeep of the house has been made possible by a trust fund left by Don Manuel to the heirs, specifically for house maintenance. One of the owners, Dra. Baby Gonzales, said that it takes the household staff several hours to buff the wide plank floors to an impressive gleam using the old reliable halved coconut husk called bunot.
- Raymundo House. Built in 1861 and the oldest in town, this house’s most interesting feature is the Hapsburg eagle carved at the pediment, an indication that the Augustinians were the original builder of the structure. Bautista believes the house was designed by Luciano Oliver, a famous architect whose works include the Taal Basilica, the tower of the grand staircase of San Agustin Monastery in Intramuros, and the portico-façade of the San Bartolome Church in Malabon. Before ownership came to the Limconlioc-Raymundo family, Bautista said the house could have served as a casa hacienda for the Augustinians.
- Martinez House. Probably built in the late 19th century, there are claims that this house served as a hospital and a tobacco factory, Malabon being a cigar manufacturer at that time. When the Martinezes bought the house, they expanded the structure with the last known house extension done in 1927.
Sometime in the 1970s, the walls and ceiling were boarded up in keeping with the style of the period. When the house was sold to the present owner, the Nepomucenos, the boards were removed, and the intact old treatment was exposed.
(Richard Bautista may be reached at 0917-8699899)
