Philippine Heritage Homes

This project aims to list an inventory of Filipino ancestral houses all over the archipelago, to identify their prominent owners and occupants and to provide external links to maps and imagery. View the complete map.

Find similar projects at the master project page, Families of the Philippines.

The Aguinaldo Shrine (Kawit, Cavite)

• The Aguinaldo Mansion in Kawit, Cavite is the site of the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1898.
• Timeline: 1845-built, 1920s-renovation, 1962-donation to government
• Original Owners: Hilaria del Rosario
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Bahay Nakpil-Bautista (Quiapo, Manila)

• Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, maintained by a foundation run by descendants of the original owners, is now a museum and is a highlight of the walking tour of Quiapo.
• Timeline: 1914-built
• Architect: Arcadio Arellano
• Original Owners: Petrona Nakpil
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Balay ni Tana Dicang (Talisay, Negros Occidental)

• Balay ni Tana Dicang stands on a 6,000 square meter lot along Rizal St. in Talisay and it is built in the quintessential style of Spanish-Filipino domestic architecture of “coquina” coral stone and various hardwoods.
• Timeline: 1883-built
• Original owners: Enrica Alunan Lizares
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

Casa Arrastia (Lubao, Pampanga)

• Casa Arrastia was built in the early 1900's in the Arrastia rice and sugar hacienda in Lubao, Pampanga. It stood in front of the Lubao Municipal Hall.
• The original structure had a wooden upper floor and concrete ground floor, a variation of the "bahay na bato" architecture -- a mix of Filipino, Spanish and American influences. It had large rooms and high ceilings, a grand staircase that led to the front door.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp. moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan, and referred to as Casa Lubao.
• Timeline: 1900s-built
• Original owners: Francisca Salgado

Casa Baliuag (Baliuag, Bulacan)

• Casa Baliuag stood at the corner of Poblacion and Burgos Street in Baliuag, Bulacan, just across the Baliuag Church. It once served as the municipal hall of Baliuag in the 1950s. The house originally had elaborate adobe carvings at the facade and intricate wood "bandejas" in an elaborate floral motiff.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp. and moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan. It has been transformed to Spanish cuisine restaurant, Taberna del Señor Pepe.
• Timeline: 1898-built, 2007-moved to Bataan
• Last owners: Tolentino Family

Casa Bizantina (Binondo, Manila)

• Casa Bizantina was built at the corner of Madrid and Penarubia Streets in San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila.
• The structure was among the first to adapt galvanized iron sheets instead of curved roof tiles and was among the first wave of three-story structures in the commercial district outside Intramuros. It demonstrates the characteristics of a "floral" bahay na bato and a Neo-Mudejar structure.
• The building was leased to the Instituto de Manila (1914-1914), the University of Manila (until WWII), among others. By 2009, it was home to about 50 squatter families.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp, moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan, and referred to as Casa Luna.
• Timeline: 1890s-built, 2009-moved to Bataan
• Architect: Lorenzo del Rosario
• Original owners: Primitivo Norvicio

Casa Enriquez (Quiapo, Manila)

• Casa Enriquez was built at the corner of Calle San Sebastian (now R. Hidalgo Street) and Callejobn de Carcer in Quiapo, Manila.
• The building was used as the first campus of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts (of which Rafael Enriquez was the director from 1909 to 1926) and the School of Architecture.
• Artists and architects who have trained in these halls include Emilio Alvero, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Juan Luna, Tomas Mapua, Agustin Saez, and Guillermo Tolentino.
• After 1927, the house became a bowling alley, a dormitory, a live sex show house and fell into decay.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp, moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan, and referred to as Casa Hidalgo.
• Timeline: 1867-built, 2006-moved to Bataan
• Architect: Felix Arroyo Roxas
• Original owners: Rafael Enriquez

Casa Novicio (Luna, La Union)

• Casa Norvicio was built was in a town that was once called Namacpacan -- now called Luna -- in La Union.
• The house fronts the plaza across the St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church, the convent and the municipal hall.
• The house served as the headquarters for the United States Armed Forces in the Phlippines, Northern Luzon (USAFIL-NL), where they planned the capture of General Yamashita.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp, moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan, and referred to as Casa Luna.
• Timeline: 1850s-built, 2007-moved to Bataan
• Original owners: Primitivo Novicio

Casa Reyes (Candaba, Pampanga)

• Casa Reyes has been in the hands of the Reyes Family of Pampanga since it was built in the 1780s. It is used by the Governor General of the Philippines in his visits to Central Luzon.
• The structure was made of narra, lauan and molave. The original ceiling was made of steel sheets and insulated with dried carabao dung. The house was built simultaneously with the Candaba Church -- with the same maestro de obras (the overall designer, contractor, architect) behind both structures.
• In 1961, National Artist for film Jerry de Leon used the mansion as a backdrop for the film adaptation of the Rizal novel "Noli Me Tangere" as the home of Kapitan Tiyago and Maria Clara.
• The structure was purchased by the Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp, moved to Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, a "heritage resort" in Bagac, Bataan, and referred to as Casa Candaba.
• Timeline: 1780s-built, 2005-moved to Bataan
• Last owner: Estanislao Reyes, 1941

Casa Maxino (Unisan, Quezon)

• Casa Maxino was the first bahay na bato in Unisan.
• Timeline: 1839-built, 2007-moved to Bataan
• Last owner: Antonio Maxino

The Legarda Mansion (San Rafael, Manila)

• Built by: Filomena Roces-Legarda
• Timeline: 1937-built
• The Legarda Mansion was one of the first art deco homes built in Manila. Only a few paces from the Presidential Palace of Malacanang, the home was built in a neighborhood once considered Manila’s most elegant district.
• The house was later occupied by Dr. Alejandro Roces Legarda, prominent physician and Ramona Gavira Hernandez-Legarda. Dona Ramona (Tita Moning ) was fond of throwing grandiose and lavish parties in the house where her culinary skills and perfection as a hostess became known all over Manila.
• The Legarda house still stands today and houses the restaurant “La Cocina de Tita Moning”.
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Reyes-Tantoco House (Malolos, Bulacan)

• Built by scions of prominent Malolos clans, the house's street front has been converted to shops. Sadly, the heirs have long left; and the house and its antiques have been endorsed to caretakers.
• Timeline: 1900s-built
• Original Owners: Maria Tiongson Tantoco
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)

• The Rizal Shrine is a reconstruction of the ancestral home of Dr. José P. Rizal. The original house was destroyed during World War II. Through President Elipidio Quirino's EO145, the house was restored under the management of National Artist Juan Nakpil.
• Timeline: 1840s-built, 1942-bombed, 1950-restored
• Original owners: Teodora Alonso de Quintos
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Santos-Uitangcoy House (Malolos, Bulacan)

• This home which stands on Calle Electricidad (now FT Reyes Street) in the affluent “Pariancillo” residential district in Malolos, is a block away from the Parish Church. It became home of the Santos couple and their brood of nine. The couple's children, converted parts of the house into a clinic and pharmacy.
• Timeline: 1890-built, 1910s-destroyed by fire, 1914-reconstructed
• Original owner: Alberta Santos Uitangcoy
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

The Yap-Sandiego House (Cebu City, Cebu)

• This house in the old Pari-an was built by a Chinese mercant in the late 17th century. His eldest daughter, Maria Yap, married Mariano Sandiego, a cabeza de barangay in the late 1880’s. It was after this couple the house was named. Valentin Sandiego, the current owner, is carefully restoring the structure for outfitting into a museum. More: http://bitly.com/p9Y9om.
• Timeline: 1675 to 1700-built
• Original Owners: Juan Yap and Maria Sofia Florido
• Map :: Current Photos :: Old Facade

Interesting Links

• Philippine Heritage Conservation Society
• History Pin - If you're at a location where a historic photo was taken, enlarge the photo to use your camera and the on screen fader to transition between past and present. Learn more about the smartphone app.