‘EAGLE HOUSE’: Celso Ledesma House Declared Heritage Site by NHCP

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The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has officially recognized the Celso Ledesma House in Iloilo City as a Heritage House, honoring its architectural and historical significance in a ceremony held May 15, 2025.

NHCP Chair Regalado Trota Jose, Jr. led the unveiling of the commemorative marker at the residence located at 37 Ortiz Street, within the Calle Real Heritage Zone.

The designation was formalized through NHCP Board Resolution No. 27, series of 2024, which acknowledges the Ledesma House for its preservation of Filipino cultural heritage and resilience through time.

Representatives of the Ledesma family, including Vanessa Ledesma Suatengco and Celso Ledesma, accepted the marker in the presence of NHCP Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, and family members Martin and Patrick Jamora.

Also known as the “Eagle House” for the sculpted eagles that crown its fence posts, the residence was built in 1922 by Engineers Mariano Cacho and Mariano Salas in the Beaux-Arts style, blending neoclassical, art nouveau, and art deco influences.

Architectural details include stained glass windows, ceiling murals by Vicente San Miguel, hardwood furnishings, and a distinctive horseshoe-shaped dining table, reflecting the refined design sensibilities of early 20th-century Iloilo’s elite.

In her speech, Suatengco paid tribute to her family’s deep-rooted connection to the house and its new national significance.

“The house was built with care and vision by my grand uncle, Celso Villalobos Ledesma—a man of refinement and quiet strength,” she said. “It is where we laughed, learned, loved, grieved, and grew. Never did we imagine that these walls—watched over by eagles on Ortiz street… would one day be recognized as a treasure of heritage.”

She added, “The house, which to us is filled with personal memory, now also becomes part of a shared national memory.”

The Ledesma House has been featured on the covers of two prominent coffee table books: Estilo Ilonggo (Alejandro, 2009) and the award-winning The Houses That Sugar Built (Consing-McAdam & Doran, 2023), further cementing its iconic status in Philippine architectural history.

The same design team behind the Ledesma House also built other Ilonggo landmarks such as Nellie’s Garden, now the Benito Lopez-WVSU Medical Center, and the Molo Cemetery arches.

With its formal recognition, the Celso Ledesma House joins an esteemed list of NHCP-designated heritage houses in Iloilo, including Camiña Balay na Bato, Nellie’s Gardens, the Lopez Boat House, the Loreto Ledesma House, and Casa Mariquit. (Photos courtesy of NHCP)