It was built in 1861, the same year that our National Hero Jose Rizal was born, and also the year that the San Bartolome Church was completed. Passers-by almost always take a second look at its original stone gateway that's reminiscent of the portals of Intramuros.
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| For one flickering second standing across the street you could almost imagine that you were in Intramuros with its adobe walls and massive wooden gates. But then you see how the street has been so elevated that the portal has "sunk" to half its height -- and you get pulled back to the reality that you're in flood-prone Malabon... |
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Etched on the gateway arch along with the year it was built is a double-headed Hapsburg eagle, an image that was used to represent the European Hapsburg dynasty and appeared on the coat of arms of the kings of Spain. 1/ The house was built by Fernando Raymundo and its present owner is a fifth-generation descendant of his.
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| This photo of the RAYMUNDO HOUSE (c. possibly 1970s) was sent by a friend and added to this posting on Dec. 20, 2010. He recalls having visited the house when he was small. He remembers the gate knocker made of solid brass ("tanso") - a lion's head - that was so heavy, when you pulled it so it would hit the metal plate base, the sound could easily be heard from the house. There was a long piece of string to be pulled in so that the visitor could get in to the front yard. The knocker was installed around 4 feet from the original street level. NOTE: This photo originally labelled as circa late 1950s based on friend's recollection but now adjusted to possibly 1970s due to the replaced roofing. |
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| Framed color image of the house in the late 1970s. |
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| The RAYMUNDO HOUSE during the Concepcion fiesta. The morning pagoda started from their place as the Malabon River is right behind it. Only around seven steps remain of the original stairs leading to the azotea (balcony). The ground floor of the house is no longer usable - the family lives only on the second floor. |
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| Olden-style interior with a few touches of modernity. I love the beautiful wide-planked hardwood floors. |
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| The Spanish-era beginnings of the RAYMUNDO HOUSE is evident in the tree posts that are still standing inside it. |
I went to Barangay Concepcion that fiesta day intending to see only the Pagodas and the Caracol, but I had an unexpected bonus. I got to see a house that had always caught my attention with its unique grand entrance, the likes of which I used to see only within Intramuros.
The RAYMUNDO HOUSE has withstood time and tide to give us -and future generations- a precious glimpse of the past in our hometown. I felt happy, proud and grateful - all in one day!
My thanks to Mr. Hilarion Corvera, Jr. and his wife Susan, and to Jamie Corvera.
1/ Website of Universidad Francisco Marroquin.
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The owner of the house is a doctor and his name is Dr.Jose Raymundo,if my memory still serves me right.We used to go there because my lolas & Lolo Jose are relatives.I grew up in Ibaba,a small barrio in Malabon parallel to C.Arellano & we used to call it "dongan" or daungan.My parents were native also of Malabon,my mother,Carmelita Ochangco, being the sister of Flor Ocampo,a member of the famous Mabuhay Singers & my father,Conrado Vidal Ochangco & happened to be the grandson of Mang Sariong Albularyo of "Balut",,dulong Herrera or dulong Vidal street or Camus ext.I have been reading a lot of comments & i'ts awesome to hear all of those.We are old Aglipayanos of Ibaba & we used to sing in the old Aglipayan Church in C.Arellano.
ReplyDeleteAlice, As I understand it, Dr. Jose Raymundo was the grandfather of the descendant who presently lives in the house.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know how people in Malabon are related to each other. I wouldn't be surprised if we trace many of the present old-time families to just a handful of original ancestors at the time of Lakandula, even! It would be pretty interesting if someone could make a compilation on this.
Good that you mention about "dongan" because my grandmother used to mention that all the time when I was small, but I never did find out what or where that was!
Thanks for your comment.
MY GRANDMA IS A COUSIN OF THE LATE PRES. RAMON
ReplyDeleteMAGSAYSAY OF ZAMBALES AND THE MAGSAYSAY WAS
ORIGINALLY FROM MALABON
I was not aware that the Magsaysay of the late President was originally from Malabon. Thanks for sharing the info.
ReplyDeleteSometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s, the weekly Sunday magazine Panorama ran a feature on some of the old houses of Malabon including the Raymundo house. The feature prominently showed a picture of the door knocker. About one week after the feature ran, the knoker was gone - most likely stolen from the massive wooden doors.
ReplyDeleteSeveral times, I sent emails to the Panorama editorial staff to request an electronic or re-printed copy of article at full costs at my expense. Those emails have never been responded to.
I also sent emails to a few antique dealers in Manila hoping to get clues if the knocker has ever been for sale so that it may be returned to the family collection.
But as with most events, greed trumps respect for property, history and traditions.
Please keep up the great work. Your efforts are much appreciated and applauded.
I would be interested to read that Panorama article if you ever get hold of a copy.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that the knocker was apparently stolen. That would have been an interesting piece to preserve.
You're right. There's not enough respect or appreciation for history and heritage. These are intangibles, but they're right at the core of who we are as a people and therefore very precious.
Thank you for your comment.
The photo you labeled circa late 1950s could be dated incorrectly. The roof seems to be galvanized iron already and the stainless steel screens on the 2nd floor are very clear.
ReplyDeleteIf I rememeber correctly, the original thatched roof was blown completely off by Typhoon Yoling in 1970. The replacement roof was the galvanized iron roof you now see and I think that's when the stainless steel screens were put in place as well.
If you can find a picture of the damaged roof, that would be interesting to show. The internal structure of the roof rafters, beams and joists were revealed in plain view. Most the roof structure were made of whole bamboo poles tied together with rattan strips - just like some of the antique furnitures. Too bad that roof structure was not saved - that clearly was a historical document of mid-19th century building technology present then.
Thank you for the interesting bits of information that you shared about the roof. I agree, had the roof structure been saved, it would have been an interesting artifact of that era's building technology. Considering the circumstances you took note of, the date of the photo may indeed be later than what was remembered.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by.