Bahay na Bato The Smith, Bell and Company house in Tabaco City is an idiosyncrasy. The Spanish-era structure of durable stone and delicate capiz was once the offices of an import-export firm dealing in abaca whose origins dated from 1868. The incongruity lies in the fact that the former commercial establishment was bought in 1965 by the talented poet Angela Manalang-Gloria. The company house of a firm engaged in buying and selling was purchased by a woman known for her literary brilliance. A house of trade became the home of an artist. This architectural wonder built of stone blocks adjoined with mortar and molasses, with its weathered wooden doors decorated with sunburst fanlights and second storey windows of mother-of-pearl, has withstood more than a hundred years of typhoons and volcanic eruptions.Tabaco City Manalang House PresentTabaco City Manalang House Past It may have been providential that Manalang-Gloria bought the old Smith, Bell and Company trading house because, on hindsight, the lyric poet and her rhythmic verses and the antique stone house with its harmonious architectural design may not have been very different after all. #bahay_na_bato #old_house #stone_houseBahay_na_Bato #tabaco_city
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