This Used to be My Neighborhood

To start off my rediscovery experience of Malabon, my son and I took a quick walk around our old neighborhood in Barangay Concepcion one Sunday last month before going to a family gathering at my Dad's house.  We retraced the path I used to take from our house near the corner of General Luna Street and Governor Pascual Avenue, going through Paez Street to C. Arellano, where I used to take a jeepney going to Bayan.



BORJA HOUSE
Built in 1923, the BORJA HOUSE boasts of many architectural details that was characteristic of houses during that time.  I think it is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved houses in Malabon.  I've always loved passing by this house and I hope that the present owners will continue to preserve it as a legacy for future generations.  It is such a heritage gem that I feel so proud of because it is right there in my neighborhood.  It's too bad that an unsightly barangay hall and covered basketball court were built right beside it, thus blocking the magnificent sweeping side view of the house from what used to be an open-air plaza.

GONZALES HOUSE (also known as the PAEZ HOUSE)
Built in 1877, the GONZALES HOUSE is simple compared to the Borja House; nevertheless I'm glad that the owners seem to be maintaining it because they've fixed and repainted the exterior. As you can see from the picture below, the new level of Paez Street is already half the height of its ground floor. This is the familiar fate of many houses in Malabon -- it seems that the only response to the city's perennial flooding problem is to keep on raising the level of our streets. In some instances street levels have been raised twice or thrice. Perhaps in another five years this house will just be a bungalow!

MARIO LUNA HOUSE
On C. Arellano Street are two heritage houses that stand proudly side by side. One is the MARIO LUNA HOUSE which was built in the 1890s. Just like the Gonzales House, its ground floor has become much lower than street level. But again, I am grateful that the owners are trying to preserve it because the once-peeling-off exterior has been given a fresh coat of paint. The embellishments painted white against the brown background can also be better seen now and makes the facade look charming.

TEODORO (formerly JOSE LUNA) HOUSE
The TEODORO (LUNA) HOUSE has been more fortunate than its neighbor because its ground floor is higher -- still three steps up from the street. I remember, though, back when the level of C. Arellano had not yet been raised, how this house used to look even more imposing in height. Unlike the Mario Luna and the Gonzales Houses which have changed the color of their exteriors, the Teodoro (Luna) House has always been an elegant white with dark trimmings from as far back as I can remember. During those days, I never minded being out in the sun while waiting for a jeepney ride because I could always distract myself appreciating these two houses.

BENEDICTO LUNA HOUSE
The unique feature of the BENEDICTO LUNA HOUSE is that it has three floors, unlike most heritage houses I've seen. Even in its present state of disrepair, you can still see its elegant design. How beautiful it must have looked during its glory days. With some repair work and a fresh coat of paint, it can still outclass the modern-design building beside it!