Pia's Ancestral Home in Pasay

After our trip to Panaderia Lola Glo the other day, Pia took us to her ancestral home which is just down the road from there.  Pia's mother (of Lola Glo fame) and father (Roberto) lived here with their nine children. The house was built by her maternal grandfather, Tomas, who was the first registered architect in the Philippines with Licence No. 0001.  Actually, he was an architect par excellence as you will see from the photos throughout this blog.  

We entered through an elaborately decorated front gate and into a large and very peaceful garden which surrounds the whole house.  Enumerating all the trees and plants in the garden would take up another blog.  So, suffice it to say that it felt like you were entering a grand botanical garden.

Above is the main entrance to the house. I took the photo through the wrought-iron work of the exquisite blue-tiled fish pond to the left.  On the right you can see the full extent of the garden which runs along the front of the house.

Pia explained that the original house had undergone a number of additions and changes as her family grew to nine children.

Below, you can see Pia in front of the pool (a later addition) which fronts the wing where all the boys lived.   Pia's mother and father and the girls lived in the main house, along with household staff and even a live-in seamstress who had her own workroom at the back of the house.  With such a large family, I am sure that she was kept busy all the time.

The original house and gardens are shown in the very last photo of this blog.  It was taken from a photo hanging on the wall inside the main house so there are some reflections from the glass but you will get an idea of its imposing nature.

Click on "Read more" below for more photos and text.


Below is the view of the main staircase leading up to the second floor.  There is a further staircase up to the third floor where her grandfather had his poker room, now turned into a bedroom.  One of Pia's sisters lives here with her daughter but there is plenty of room for visiting brothers, sisters and other relatives who live elsewhere.  You can see a photo of her grandfather above the piano below and the seamstress' room at the every back under the stairs. The original sewing machine is still there!

From the main staircase, you look back into the grand reception room (below) which is huge but full of light from the all the windows which look out onto the garden.

This table looks like a grand dining table but Pia told us that they usually ate in the family dining room in another part of the house.  The table below would seat about 12 people and the "lazy susan" (I don't know the Chinese term for that!) would be able to reach them all.

Regee and Pia stand by the dining table with pictures of Pia's grandmother and grandfather  on the wall behind them.

Looking back down into the reception room from the main staircase.  Both Regee and I commented on just how solid the whole house felt--especially the staircase which had absolutely no creaks or squeaks as you ascended.  And what a grand bannister to slide down as kids!!

Upstairs we found all the bedrooms.  This is the sitting room which leads into the beautiful bedroom of Pia's mother and father.  The window where Regee and Pia are standing leads out on to a balcony overlooking the garden below.

Up on the third floor, you have a wonderful view out over the garden, the pool and Makati in the distance.  The bougainvillea growing up that pole looks so amazing!

And leading from her grandfather's old poker room on the third floor is a magnificent roof terrace.  Here you are completely surrounded by the trees of the garden and you feel far removed from the chaos and noise of Taft Avenue below.  The roof garden is well tended and also has its own sitting area which is shaded from the sun.

The water lilies you see in the photo below are contained in the huge ceramic container that sits on the garden roof above.

Everywhere you look, there is a wealth of detail that is so striking and yet another testament to the skills and sensitivity of her architect grandfather.  Below is one of many red pillars on the third floor which support the roof.  Note the decorative glass marbles that are embedded in the top part of the pillars.

Many of the walls are decorated with bas-relief like the one below which is found in the main reception area--a fisherman casts his line out into a river or lake.

And this is the magnificent ceiling in the reception room--you have to lie of the floor to get the full benefit of the design, the shimmering colors and the speckled surrounding area around the Tiffany-like lighting.

The furniture throughout the house is fascinating.  Once again, I could devote a whole blog to the furniture but I will just point out one piece that caught my eye.  This is a gorgeous chair sitting at the top of the main staircase.  It is finely carved and has a seat covering made of T'nalak weave from the Tibolis of South Cotabato in Mindanao.  All by itself it speaks to the vision that Pia's grandfather had for his house, celebrating both the past and the very latest styles of his day.

Coming back downstairs, we were greeted in the kitchen.  We made our way down there because we could smell the unmistakeable odor of bagoong being cooked.  Sure enough, we found a huge pan of freshly cooked bagoong on the stove.  I tasted it and it was absolutely delicious. I was rewarded with a jar of the same by the cooks!

Finally, we end up in the family dining room, close to the kitchen.  We have toured just about every room in the house but the kitchen and dining room are at the very heart of all activities, as in any house.  It feels like we have just been conducted around a palace but a very friendly and accessible one.

I told Pia that she should think about writing a book about the house, her family and all its memories.  It could be a grand coffee table book with lots of photos or something less grand, still with lots of photos, but a more personal account of family life.

We left the same way we came in and I just marveled at the garden, the trees (many bearing fruit) and the house as it now is.

Below is a photo of the original house. It honestly does not look all that different except that there are now a few additions and the garage has become a separate living area.

Pia told us so many stories about her childhood and family life. It will be for her to share these fascinating stories one day and to give some insights into a way of life that that has now passed us by.  

But it is fascinating to think that this house has now been re-purposed, that a new business (Panaderia Lola Glo) is being created on the site of the former ancestral home and that a new generation is making its mark on this old but delightful part of Taft Avenue.  

Places may change from generation to generation but the spirit remains.  The energy that went into building this house is the same energy that has created Panaderia Lola Glo.  And it too will stand the test of time.  Thanks for a grand tour, Pia.