The Boix House, also known as Teotico-Crespo House or Casa Boix, is a

bahay na bato ''Bahay na bato'' (Tagalog, literally "house of stone", also known in Visayan as ''balay na bato'' or ''balay nga bato; in Spanish as Casa Filipino'') is a type of building originating during the Philippines' Spanish colonial period. It is an ...

heritage house located in

Quiapo, Manila Quiapo () is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Referred to as the "Old Downtown of Manila", Quiapo is home to the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with millions of p ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Owned by the Philippine Province of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, the restoration of the house is currently being advocated by the civic group ''Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista''. The house typifies the ''bulaklak sa trellis'' ( flowers in trellis) architectural style that was common during the latter part of Spanish rule in the Philippines in the 1890s.

History

Construction

The house plan of Boix House was submitted by a certain Marciano Teotico to the ''Superior Gobierno'' in Manila, dated August 24, 1895. The house was described as having two

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground ( pit latrine), or ...

s, two

mezzanine A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...

s, a bathroom, a cellar, a

coach house Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, a servant's quarters, and a

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

in the ground floor. The second floor, on the other hand, was described in the plan as having two kitchens, a servant's quarters, an interior gallery, a ''sala'' (living room), a pantry, and three other rooms.

Post-WWII

The house, together with most structures on the east of

Quezon Boulevard Quezon Boulevard is a short stretch of highway in Manila, Philippines running north–south through the district of Quiapo. It is a six- to ten-lane divided boulevard designated as a component of National Route 170 (N170) of the Philippine h ...

in the Quiapo district was spared from destruction caused by World War II. After the war, the house became a dormitory. The most notable resident of the house was former

Philippine President The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his de ...

, who once lived at the house during his law studies at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migu ...

. It was also believed that Quezon attended parties hosted by the Nakpil-Bautista family, who lived just next door at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista. Because of this, the house was known as the Manuel L. Quezon Dormitory. The ground floor was eventually adaptively reused to house a printing press. The second floor of the house continued to function as a dormitory until 2008 when it was vacated.

Ownership history

The house was originally owned by the Boix-Terradellas family. Oral traditions then link it to the Crespos, after which the Boix family acquired the property. The Boix family then donated the house to the Society of Jesus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boix House Houses in Metro Manila Buildings and structures in Quiapo, Manila Heritage Houses in the Philippines Houses completed in 1895