I lived in this house at 280 San Nicolas street in Binondo, Manila, from December 1941, the beginning of WW2, until I left it in April 1961 when I got married. It is a big Spanish house built at the turn of the 19th century. Typical of Spanish houses in old Manila, it is a two storey house, the floors made of excellent Philippine hardhood and high ceilings. It has a floor area of approximately 450 square meters. The house was owned by SC Justice Jesus Barrera from whom my parents rented it. It has two studio type "entre suelos", a kitchen and a bodega at the far end of the house, and a tailor shop on the ground floor. On the second floor are two huge bed rooms, another which is small, a wide dining room, a kitchen and terrace. The house is huge that at one point while WW2 was raging in Manila there were close to fifty people consisting of six or seven families that lived in that house. I have fond memories of this house where I spent my youthful years from age seven to twenty-seven. At age 66, I came back to this house in December 2000 to visit it. More people live there now in partitioned rooms, but the years of neglect has put the house in a state of decay. It saddened me that its beauty and elegance are gone. (Jan 13, 2007) |