Casa Manila

Overview

Casa Manila is a reconstructed 19th-century Filipino colonial house museum inside the Plaza San Luis Complex in Intramuros. It offers the most vivid glimpse of how wealthy Filipino-Spanish mestizo families lived during the late Spanish period.

Highlights

• Period Furniture: Rooms furnished with hardwood (narra and molave) furniture, capiz shell windows, and Portuguese-tile floors.
• Kitchen & Bodega: A re-created colonial household kitchen complete with clay stoves, copper cookware, and a small wine cellar.
• Inner Courtyard: A charming interior patio with a fountain, typical of bahay-na-bato (stone house) architecture.

History

Designed by architect Francisco Mañosa and opened in 1981, Casa Manila was created by the Intramuros Administration to educate visitors about the domestic life of Manila's ilustrado (enlightened) class in the 1800s. It is not a historic house itself but a faithful composite reconstruction.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: Entrance is ₱75 (adults). The museum is small — it can be combined easily with nearby Fort Santiago.
• Tip 2: Ask the guards to point out the hidden spiral staircase connecting the main rooms.
• Duration: 30–45 minutes.