A Heritage House in Quezon Memorial Circle

The popular Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City is a national park that offers visitors and QC residents dozens of things to do. They could visit the Quezon Memorial Shrine that houses the remains of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon and that of his wife Doña Aurora, check out the new QCX museum, stroll at the numerous gardens, bring the kids to the playground, or eat at the many restaurants there.

But there is one more surprise at the Circle, and it’s a delightful one—right beside the complex of Max’s, Tropical Hut, and Serye restaurants and almost hidden from plain sight by the main parking lot is the Quezon Heritage House. This yellow-and-cream, two-story house is a beautiful example of neoclassical revival design, and is reconstructed from the original house of the Quezon family formerly located on Gilmore Street in New Manila.

Unlike the Doña Aurora Quezon Memorial House in Baler, which is the former First Lady’s ancestral home, the Quezon Heritage House is the only existing house in the country that is directly associated with President Quezon. The original house was offered in 1927 as a weekend home for the Quezon family, and it provided a relaxing atmosphere away from the President’s political life. Quezon died of tuberculosis in New York, and his family purchased the house after World War II.

In 2013, the Quezon City government worked on the transfer and reconstruction of the family house in Gilmore to its current site in the Circle. About 60% of the structure and interiors are from the original house, with furniture and memorabilia such as old photos, suitcases, and paintings donated by the Quezon family. It is a historical treasure—the Philippine Red Cross was founded in this house, as well. And aside from being an example of beautiful colonial architecture, it gives us a quaint peek into how a great political family lived in that era.