VILLONGCO HOUSE
The VILLONGCO HOUSE is made up entirely of concrete, unlike most heritage houses that have wooden upper floors.
The Art Deco details add interest to the house.
The house is currently for rent. I hope that the prospective lessee of the house will not try to change or obstruct its nice facade.
Addendum on July 23, 2010: I have just been told that the VILLONGCO HOUSE will no longer be rented out. Instead it will be made into a venue place for special events.
NEPOMUCENO HOUSE
A study in contrast is found in the NEPOMUCENO HOUSE, with the commercial establishments on its ground floor presenting a modern, utilitarian look, and its second floor mostly keeping its original design and details. (Mostly - because I don't think the jalousies were a part of the original design.) Perhaps the house could be repainted in one color to bring out the charm of the original design and unify the look of the house a bit.
MAGNO HOUSE
The MAGNO HOUSE around 2007 (photo by Arch. Richard Tuason Bautista):
The MAGNO HOUSE in June 2010:
I have to say that the owner has shown an adventurous streak in his/her choice of color for the house exterior. Here, even though the ground floor is being occupied by a commercial establishment, the accordion doors have been painted the same color so that when they are closed, the house has a unified look. Practical considerations appear to have necessitated the installation of a canopy in front. But I wonder if the canopy -- and the signage -- could be placed a bit lower so that onlookers could appreciate the original second floor design better.
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wow! thank you so much for putting up these photos. it really helps me re-connect with the homeland all the way from Cali.
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks. I'm enjoying doing this because I'm rediscovering the old neighborhoods, too, having lived away from it for some time.
ReplyDeleteHi Cecile,
ReplyDeleteI am happy and deeply sad to see all these pictures and information about my home town Malabon. I am deeply sad and literally cried to see the Villongco House(my grandparent's house Dr. Cenon & Enciang Villongco)with a sign of "For Rent". Being the oldest grandchild, this house is my root and heritage. I am totally caught by surprise to discover about this from other people through your hard work of gathering these information and the wonders of technological forms of communication. I have been away from Malabon for the past 39 years and unaware of the changes and on going projects. How I wish I would be there and be able to preserve the history and heritage of kinship, culture and tradition of our town. For being away across the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, all my thoughts and prayers to you and my "Kababayan" for all your great efforts and work in preserving our town. God Bless you all!
Liz
Dear Liz, Thank you for your letter. I'm sorry that you had to find out about the Villongco House being rented out from my blog.
ReplyDeleteI have a piece of good news, though. I called the contact no. on the streamer just now and was told that a decision was arrived at only last week that the house will no longer be rented out. Instead it will be made into a venue place for special events. I have posted an Addendum to my blog entry to share the news.
Please continue to include our hometown in your prayers. So much has changed - some of them not so good, but there still remains our rich heritage that we can be proud of.
God bless.
Its nice to see Malabon before, please continue sharing....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, I will continue to share about our hometown...
DeleteSeing the Nepomuceno's house brought back old memories. I used to live across the Nepomuceno's, just behind the Prudential bank in the small alleyway. If I recall, there used to be a tailoring shop (Ben G Alpa) at the ground floor and a sari sari store.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing all these places of our beloved Malabon, where I grew up and had fond memories. I used to roam around the area when I was a kid, from Concepcion, Gov Pascual, C Arellano, Camus, Bayan, Rufina, Hulo, and know most of these ancestral houses.
I also grew up in Concepcion, a few houses from the church, so these ancestral houses were an everyday sight for me, too. I didn't mind at all that, to get a jeepney ride going to bayan, I had to walk from our house and go through Paez St. to C.Arellano -- because I got to see these houses along the way. I loved looking at them.
DeleteThanks for sharing...