Smith, Bell and Company House, Commercial colonial building in Tabaco, Philippines
The Smith, Bell and Company House sits at the corner of Rizal Street and J. Berces Street, featuring traditional stone construction from the Spanish colonial period. The building displays solid masonry work and window arrangements characteristic of commercial architecture from that era.
Mariano Villanueva constructed the structure in the late 1800s, and it functioned as offices for Smith, Bell and Company, a British trading firm specializing in abaca commerce. The building documents the economic connections between Philippine resources and European trading networks.
The structure demonstrates the bahay na bato style, blending Philippine materials with European design from the colonial era. This architectural approach reflects how local and foreign building traditions merged during that time.
The National Historical Institute installed a Level II historical marker here in 2007. The location is easy to find and a worthwhile stop for visitors interested in colonial architectural styles.
Poet Angela Manalang-Gloria purchased the property in 1965 and converted it into her family home. She preserved the original structure, giving the building a new significance in cultural history.
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