Historic houses in Santa Ana, Manila
Dubbed as the "Forbes Park of Manila", some houses were owned by prominent personalities and wealthy families.
The original owners of the house were Amparo Lucero, who became Miss Cebu in 1907, and Valentin Santos Sr., who was the first Filipino manager of Manila Electric Company or Meralco.
Letter "A" carvings were eminent within the house, specifically at the entrance porch and into the doorways of each bedrooms inside the living room.
Built in the typical bahay na bato fashion, the house has survived the war and a fire.
However, the house has undergone a drastic change in the 1960s (as shown in the picture) by having a concrete foundation to accommodate the growing Bautista family.
Its owner was Maria Esperanza Rodil-Bautista whose husband, Feliciano Magsalin Bautista, a medical surgeon from Santa Ana was acclaimed to be one of the first 100 licensed physicians in the country after the Physician Licensure Exam was introduced in the Philippines by our American colonizers during the early 1900s.
Prior to its first renovation in the 1960s, its most striking features are the arch-shaped arcade situated at the facade, its style borrowing heavily from Mission-styled house common during the Commonwealth period.
Another renovation started in 2017 as Feliciano and Maria's grandchildren try to bring back the splendor of the Rodil-Bautista ancestral home.
This could be observed with the replacement of capiz windows into colored glass, re-painting works, and re-assessment of wooden structural members.
At present, the house was converted as one of the main amenities of the events place, Jardin de Isabel.
The house features a vast garden at the back of the structure which includes a gazebo facing the Pasig River.
The present owner of the house was a relative of Ernest Panis, one of the members of Santa Ana Heritage Tourism Association (SAHTA).
Compared to the Perez House, its original features remained intact, including its ventanillas' iron works, galvanized iron canopy roofing along each window accentuated with concave designs, and carvings at the eaves which also serves as openings for efficient cross-ventilation within the house.
The house, reminiscent of a typical bahay na bato in the Philippines, has a first level of wood and bricks and a wooden second floor.
They have a long and storied history in Santa Ana, Manila, where they own several ancestral homes and properties.
The family's ancestral home in Santa Ana, known as the Casa Blanca, was built in the 1800s and has been preserved as a cultural landmark.
In addition to their contributions to heritage conservation, the Diaz de Rivera family has also been active in the arts and culture scene in the Philippines.
Today, the Diaz de Rivera family continues to be an important part of the cultural and social fabric of Santa Ana, Manila, and the wider Philippines.
The house is characterized by having a plain exterior, exhibiting walls made of hardwood and the traditional sliding capiz windows with iron grills.
Built around the mid-19th century, its general structure reflects the architectural style of houses common during the Spanish Colonial period.
Unlike any other houses, the facade has a striking appearance, showing its walls and pediment with geometric designs.
The house has a plain exterior, showing walls made of masonry and hardwood on its first and second levels respectively and the traditional sliding capiz-shell windows with ventanillas and iron grills.
Like a number of older prominent houses in the district, this 3-storey structure enjoys the view of the nearby Pasig River which is located on the east, as well as the Estero de Pandacan farther up on the northeast.
These riverside houses have verandas and wide opening to frame the river views as well as catch the breeze.
On the second floor, geometric stylized ventilation panels with the initials of the original owner (V) embellish the wall partitions.
