Skip to main content

Restoration works reveal the historic grandeur of the Elizalde and Co. Building

One of Iloilo City's hidden gems is the Elizalde and Co. building is located at the farthest end Iloilo City’s Central Business District (CBD), which has been declared a national heritage zone last June 2014. 

The former Commission on Audit (COA) building, or the “Edificio de Elizalde y Cia,” is a hundred-year-old complex whose architecture depicts the age of progressive commerce and trade in Iloilo during the late 19th century to early 20th century. 

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) started the four-phase restoration project for the structure in 2014. It was authorized to take the lead in the restoration project following a Memorandum of Agreement it with COA when the latter transferred to its new office complex almost 10 years ago. 

The heritage building lies along the Calle Real and at the back of the Iloilo City Hall. The original owners used it as the family abode while a supermarket dominates the ground floor as the first comprehensive grocery store in the city. COA bought the building and established its regional office there until the audit agency transferred to Pavia, Iloilo.
The Elizalde Building structure is designed as a typical Bahay na Bato from it’s massive solid red brick ground floor to wood panels on the 2nd floor. Sliding ( Capiz Shell ) windows framed by double arches dominate the upper level. Atop these windows are transoms made of pierced lacelike wood panels. 

Wrought iron ventanillas in floral design support the window to increase ventilation. Pierced wooden foliated brackets support the eaves and second floor projections. Lace-like design piercings along the eaves form additional ventilation.
Recently, the Elizalde building got the full preservation treatment, courtesy of a DOST-FPRDI wood ID team which identified wooden materials that can be used to restore the building, in collaboration with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The project identified the tree species used in the structural wooden structures and movable woodcrafts in the Old COA building.


CREDITS

Photos 

Text sources:
by Lydia Pendon
ICCHCC website
Manila Standard

Popular posts from this blog

Travelers guide to Iloilo transport terminals (Airport, Jeepneys, Buses, RORO. etc)

Being the biggest city on Panay Island and the center of Western Visayas region, Iloilo City is a transportation hub whether by land, sea or air. These numerous transportation terminals facilitate day to day commerce, light & heavy industries, and tourism, among others. As this is a travel blog, this guide is aimed to tourists who want to experience and explore Iloilo and perhaps even beyond. Iloilo International Airport A little more than five years old, the Iloilo International Airpor t is among the most modern and beautiful in the country today. It is situated around 20 kilometers from Iloilo City , straddling the towns of Cabatuan, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara . It has direct links to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro  and Puerto Princesa plus international destinations Hong Kong and Singapore . Among the first hurdles tourists will have to contend is the distance that translates to expensive fare when traveling to and from this airp...
Read more

Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Bingawan: Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools

The area around the town of Bingawan, the edge of the central portion of the province is where it ends and the town of Tapaz, Capiz province begins and is very much another unsung corner of Iloilo with warm, friendly, welcoming people. Bingawan has some rich farming land and farming is at the heart of its village life. The landscapes are gorgeous here; with gentle pastures, to the high mountains. The area offers some beautiful hikes and bike trails across its lovely rolling meadows, woodland and a few working farms. The town would be less touristic than its neighboring towns but is well worth exploring. If you are concerned about how organic can contribute to benefit our shared environment, promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved, then a trip to Connie Carillo Diversified Farm is for you. With the governments’ efforts to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the farmers, the Connie Carillo Diversified Fa...
Read more

St. Joseph Chapel at Festive Walk Iloilo's The Deck

While most malls around the country host Sunday masses in some obscure hallway filled with plastic chairs with a makeshift altar, some malls have built niches or transformed unused spaces into places of worship. And Ilonggos should be proud that one of the newest malls in Iloilo City has actually a chapel located in a prime spot and one that boasts both beauty and serenity.  The St. Joseph Chapel at Festive Walk Iloilo is located in one of its al fresco areas known as The Deck located  at the 3rd level. While this open air area also has a mini plaza and dog park (and soon - cafes and restaurants) it is the chapel that highlights this al fresco part of the mall. Eucharistic mass services are held every Sunday at 11am while first Friday masses at 5pm.  It is open to the public everyday for personal moments of silence and solitude. The Deck and everything in it is open from 10am to 10pm with the entrance located betwee...
Read more