That said, it's not everyday that one comes across a property for sale designed by and owned by a national artist.
So it was, therefore, a surprise to learn that the ancestral house built by Pablo Antonio on 2650 Zamora Street in Pasay is on the market, at a gross selling price of P350 million.
We immediately reached out to Sandro Oreña, the young, upstart agent of Re/Max 8 Realty who handles the listing, for more details.
Who is Pablo Antonio
First, let’s learn a bit more about Pablo Antonio. Born on January 25, 1901, he was the youngest child and only son of Apolinario and Maria Severo Antonio.
While working as a draftsman and construction foreman for Santa Clara Lumber and Construction Company to fund his college education, he caught the attention of Don Ramon Arevalo, one of the company's founders.
In The Architectural Legacy of Pablo Antonio, it is recalled that Don Ramon was so impressed with Antonio’s freehand sketches that he sponsored Antonio’s education at the University of London in 1927.
Antonio would complete his architecture degree in just three years; and with such iconic projects as Capital Luis Gonzaga Building on Rizal Avenue, the Life Theater, the Manila Polo Club among others under his belt, he would posthumously be named National Artist in 1976.
The Zamora St. Pasay house
But back to the Zamora house. Luis R. Antonio, an architect like his father Pablo, recounts in the said book how, as young kid, he realized that “our house was very different from[his classmates] houses.”
“They also had large living and dining rooms but their windows were very different. I asked my father why our house did not have regular windows and he would say, ‘Our house was built for cross ventilation’.”
“I loved our house in Pasay and have only fond memories of the wonderful times we would spend in the garden full of trees,” he continues. “As an architect, I now realize how advanced my father was. He was truly aware of global warming. He was a Renaissance man who was totally saving for nature.”
For his part, says Oreña: “it’s a one-of-a-kind property. It’s also the personal home of a national artist.”
When asked who the potential buyers of the property are, which sits on a 3,100 sqm. lot, has six bedrooms, five toilets and bath, and is semi-furnished, he says, “we’re hoping an institution buys the house and preserves it. Potential buyers could be the ultra-wealthy that are patrons of history/art.”
With the recent spate of landmarks by our National Artists being demolished, heritage advocates can only hope such a buyer, a deep-pocketed one, takes interest.
Features Reporter