Joan Josep Hervas y Arizmendi - Casa Bizantina, Hotel de Oriente and La Insular Fabrica de Tabacos y Cigarillos

..."Casa Bizantina" was the first home of “Instituto de Manila” (1914), after their least ended the Donato family (family picture below) moved into this beautiful three-storey “bahay na bato” in the historical district of San Nicolas. “Casa Bizantina” was earthquake proof because of its curved foundation that swing with the movement of the earth, no nails were used instead wooden pegs can be found on the floors and the walls that allows the movement of the quake. Weather proof because of the thick adobe and heavily fired red brick walls. Termite proof because of the bitter-tasting timber hardwoods that were used and was a survivor of American bombing during the "liberation of Manila," unfortunately another victim of capitalist’s cultural cannibalism. Casa Bizantina was looted piece by piece, panel by panel, brick by brick, grill by grill, floorboard by floorboard, in order to sell them to an “antique dealer” who payed high price for old parts of ancestral house, until the building was declared “condemned” then “sold” and went down to the ground. The debris that were left on the corner of calle Madrid & Peñarubia were cleaned, taken by truck loads and transported in Bataan, the beautiful graveyard of the cultural cannibalism victims. 

It has been called “Casa Bizantina” because of its Byzantine ornamentation, designed by Joan Josep Hervas y Arizmendi a Catalan architect, born in Barcelona, a contemporary of another Catalan, Antoni Gaudí the designer of the world famous “Sagrada Familia Basilica” in Barcelona. Hervas’ other works include “Hotel de Oriente” and “La Insular Fabrica de Tabacos y Cigarillos” both at Plaza Calderon de la Barca (now Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz) in Binondo and its hard not to notice the similarities of the details on these three buildings. 

“Hotel de Oriente” was built in 1889 by Don Manuel Perez Marqueti, it was one of first class hotels in Asia. In June 26, 1892, Jose Rizal stayed at Room # 22 in this hotel (right side of the building) coming back from HongKong days before he established “La Liga Filipina” in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco at calle Ilaya, Tondo. 

“La Insular Fabrica de Tabacos y Cigarillos” was established by Don Joaquin Santamarina and his associates Don Luis Elizalde and Don Manuel Clemente after the Philippine colonial government monopoly on tobacco was abolished. The factory together with “Hotel de Oriente” and other building in its surrounding was ravaged by fire during the liberation of Manila in 1944. 

ka tony

the 24th of July '18