As both Kuya Arnaldo (of ‘With One’s Past’ Blog) and I are of the same regretful feeling about San Pablo being left with nothing but a few houses from the Spanish and even American period, it is nevertheless fulfilling to note that there are some that still manage to remain despite the modernization around.
Again I do not profess an in-depth knowledge of the designs and structures of houses from earlier years. I am very much aware that I am equipped simply with aesthetic appreciation of them coupled with historical interest that could be probably be associated with them.
* a roaring lion – one of the two lion statues standing guard to a house (a house which one would typically associate with a lawyer) found on Balagtas Boulevard
* a seeming peaceful retreat, found just a block away from the Sampalok Lake Stairs; notice the lady on the circular design on the wall, one of the many ‘lady motifs’ found around the city, the most well-known perhaps is Doña Leonila, a small fountain is found on the left side
* more or less post-American, I venture to guess; this one houses the Castillo Photo Studio near the city plaza
* although the roof seems to tell us otherwise, the house itself exhibits traces of being built many decades ago
* this one is a great find; one which we commonly call ‘Mansyon’, found along the main road towards Brgy. Concepcion, this house, as the inscription says outside was probably built on August 19, 1924; although I was not able to really verify this, they say that this is where the movie ‘Tiyanak’ was shot
* a view of one of the windows of the ‘Mansyon’
* another view of one of the windows, this time showing one of the (many) doors the mansion has; all in all, this house needs one big overhaul
* found amidst the busy street of Hermanos Belen lined with computer shops, photocopy shops, printing press and food stores; it belongs to the family of one of my sister’s acquaintances, and it is believed that this house still carries traces of the Japanese occupation because of the bullet hole(s?) found in one of the rooms there
* one old and intact house I have found so far in the city; still found on Hermanos Belen Street, today it houses a clinic
* a very imposing one nestled right in the midst of ‘Bayan’, and its busy and often noisy streets
* a three-floored building, the ground floor of which is a restaurant; balconies are really beautiful, however small or big they might be
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