Skip to main content

The House Of Dr. Luis Santos

Our tour of Malolos continues, from the Cojuangco ancestral house http://myrefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cojuangco-ancestral-house.html, our gracious host Melecio Cojuangco brought us to the house of Dr. Luis Santos. Mel arranged the visit with one of the heirs of Dr. Santos, George Imperial.
From the outside, one would already be in awe of the sheer size of the house. The house was built in 1933, according to the marker by the gate. Upon entering, you will marvel at the grand staircase, the expansive receiving room and the foyer filled with hard bound medical books and mementos of Dr. Santos' career as a well loved doctor in this town. The second floor was something else, as our group slowly ascended the magnificent staircase, my heart literally skipped a beat at the sight of the ceiling mural and Art Deco details. We found out later that the mural was painted by the great Fernando Amorsolo himself. There was a private chapel in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes and a bedroom where a figure of the Santo Entierro lies. It is brought out on Good Fridays for the procession. Through the kitchen, was what I imagined as a secret door to the tower. The house is very much intact, George told us that termites gave up on the hard wood used to build the house, the floors a combination of four tree varieties.
It was 36 degrees outside that afternoon, but the visual spectacle was worth the sweat.

Thank you very much to Mr. George Imperial for welcoming us to this beautiful house.


The house of Dr. Luis Santos




Upon entering, you will be awed by the sheer size of the rooms.

Medical books


A photo of Dr. Luis Santos

The grand staircase leading to the second floor.



I wasn't prepared for this, a breathtaking Fernando Amorsolo mural on the second floor living room.

Art Deco at its peak.

Hanging above the piano in the living room, Kundiman 1932, by Fabian de la Rosa

Our group shot with Melecio Cojuangco and George Imperial.

The private chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.


The Kitchen.

The spiral staircase leading to the tower.

A divan for two at the tower room.

It was 36 degrees that afternoon, but the visual spectacle was worth the sweat.

Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownFriday, May 9, 2014 at 9:57:00 PM GMT+8

    An extraordinary beautiful House! Art Deco at its best! I can just imagine how magnificent the mural on the ceiling done by Armosolo is!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownWednesday, May 25, 2016 at 4:54:00 PM GMT+8

    who is Sir Mel? Can he also arrange a visit for us?
    Please let us know. Thank you! :)

    Rischelle

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownWednesday, May 25, 2016 at 4:55:00 PM GMT+8

    Can I have his contact number/s?

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMonday, December 6, 2021 at 2:45:00 PM GMT+8

    i want to visit this since i'm just near of it, but can i still enter inside?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Cojuangco Ancestral House

Our next journey takes us to a historic town in Bulacan, thirty minutes north of Manila. My road trip buddies, my college friends who all share with me the same fascination for heritage houses were privileged by an invitation from Melecio Cojuangco to visit their ancestral house in Malolos. Mel, his cousin in law Marissa Lopa, Rima Datuin and Evelyn Bautista  and I discovered each other's funny bone   because of our love for the ice cream served in a huge bowl at Peninsula Manila's lobby. One evening, to justify our appetite, we pretended it was my birthday and we had the string quartet play happy birthday for me, from then on, we became good friends. Mel's grandfather,  Jose Cojuangco  was born at the Malolos house, very near the Barasoain Church. Jose's mother traded rice from Nueva Ecija, sacks transported by boat via the river at the back of the kamalig to Binondo, Manila. Like most turn of the century houses, the Cojuangco house uses piedra china ...
2 comments
Read more

Her Name Means Peace

I started blogging five years ago after reading the book  Life On The Refrigerator Door  by  Alice Kuipers.  So touched was I from the story, I named my blog  My Refrigerator Door . Ms. Kuipers wonderfully weaved a story about a daughter and her mother who battled with breast cancer in a series of notes posted on the refrigerator door. Last Sunday, at the funeral of Tita Passy,  Paz Cojuangco-Teopaco,  I was reminded of that beautiful book. She too fought a long battle with the disease, but in her suffering, she has brought her family back together. I met the Teopacos through my good friend  Kris Aquino . In one of Kris's anniversary specials on TV, I was introduced by Kris' mother,  President Cory  to her youngest sister, Passy. After that, I got to bond with Kris's cousins, Tita Passy's daughters,  Marla  and  Rina  in a summer trip to Mindoro. Sharing the same love for sentimental music, and deep affection...
Post a Comment
Read more