65. 12 STATELY KAPAMPANGAN RESIDENCES, AS THEY LOOKED IN THE 1930s

The 1930s was a period of relative peace and prosperity for many Kapampangans, especially for those who made their fortunes from the province’s burgeoning sugar and rice industry. Old colonial homes were refurbished and expanded, modern residences were built,  designer mansions and multi-storey homes were commissioned to be lived in, and to be seen. Here are some of them as they appeared in the halcyon days of the 1930s.

 **********

The spacious Don Alfonso de Leon residence was designed by Arch. Fernando H. Ocampo, considEred as the “Father of Modern Architecture”. It was constructed with Rizal Cement and furnished with renowned Puyat Furniture pieces.

The residence of Don Luis Wenceslao Dison and Feliza Hizon Dison is located in brgy. San Jose. It is another creation of Arch. Fernando H. Ocampo, built with Rizal Cement, painted by A.B. Villanueva & Sons, and furnished with Puyat Furniture. The 1930s house, whose main features remain intact,  is now being used as the Archdiocesan Chancery.

Don Benigno Fajardo is one of the founding fathers of Lubao Institute which opened in 1929. The most distinctive part of his multi-level house is the double-roofed upper storey terrace, accessible by a grand central staircase.

A prominent sugar planter of Lubao, Don Ambrosio Gonzales (b.1876/d.1957)  is also a socio-civic leader of the town, having founded the Hormiga de Hierro (Ants of Steel) in 1901. His charming 2-storey house, which is enclosed by a metal grill fence, sits on a lush garden and is typical of the modernized homes in 1930s Pampanga.

The Guanzon house was built in 1932 by Don Felipe Pineda Guanzon for his wife Dona Epifania Alvendia- Guanzon of Sta. Rita. Known today as Villa Epifania, the concrete house has sleek art deco elements, a style in vogue during the Commonwealth years.

Don Leandro Ibarra, an accomplished lawyer, was named Secretary of Interior of the Philippine Revolutionary Government under Emilio Aguinaldo. His capacious  “bahay na bato” residence was still well-kept and in order in the 1930s,

The Angeles home of Don Jose Lazatin, a  well-known businessman and sugar planter was designed by Menem Tayag. The concrete and wood house is furnished with the latest in Puyat Furniture.

The imposing Lopez Mansion, built in the grand Greek revival style, is reputed to be the first all-concrete house in Pampanga. It is constructed with APO Cement and furnished with Puyat Furniture. Owner Don Alejandro Lopez was a successful planter, owner of the Lopez Rice Mill, Co., and the Vice President of Pampanga Sugar Mills Planters Association. Together with his wife, Jacinta Limson and his family, Lopez resided and also held office here.

The home of Don Jose Luciano in Magalang was a favorite party place of the town’s elite, and the Lucianos would often host dinners and balls for Manila’s high society families like the Madrigals.  The beautiful house with a wide porch. was specially designed by Arch. Fernando H. Ocampo,  built with Rizal Cement and furnished with Puyat Furniture.

The beautiful home of lawyer  Don Pedro Morales (b.1886/d.1945) and Magdalena Hizon, was designed by his wife’s cousin, Arch. Fernando H. Ocampo in Mabalacat. A typical 30s house, it was furnished with Puyat Furniture. When the couple perished in he 1945 liberation of Manila, their lone surviving child inherited the house, and moved it to Magalang. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the ancestral Morales house.

The house of Don Teodosio Pecson Santos and Josefa Panlilio was another design of the much-in demand architect, Fernando H. Ocampo, and furnished with the usual Puyat Furniture. Located along A. Consunji Street in Barangay San Jose),  it was purchased by the Miranda family, and is now recognized as one of the capital city’s treasured ancestral houses.

Don Emiliano J. Valdes (b. 1876/d.1953), the generous Kapampangan philanthropist who gave his name as well as financial donation to fund Pampanga’s leading TB hospital in Angeles had his grand residence built along Plaridel St. in the mid 30s. The Valdeses had barely enjoyed their new house when his wife died on 20 September 1936.To make matters worse, his house was taken over by the Japanese during the war and turned into a military headquarters. To forget the sad events that transpired in his Angeles home, he sold the house and lot after the war, and the space has since become a commercial area.

SOURCES:
PAMPANGA SOCIAL REGISTER, 1933
Lubao Commemorative Fiesta Program, 1936
www.viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com, for Emiliano Valdes, Lopez Mansion, Pedro Morales House,