Casa Real (Lingayen)

Casa Real
Facade of the building in 2022
Location in the Philippines
General information
Status	Fully restored
Town or city	Lingayen, Pangasinan
Country	Philippines
Coordinates	16°01′11″N120°13′49″E / 16.019805°N 120.230341°E / 16.019805; 120.230341
Groundbreaking	1840s
Renovated	circa 2015
National Historical Landmarks
Official name	Casa Real ng Lingayen
Type	Buildings/Structures
Designated	June 21, 2021;3 years ago (June 21, 2021)
Database	NHCP website

Casa Real (Royal House) is one of the oldest public buildings and served as the provincial seat of government of Lingayen, Pangasinan, in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. It was where the alcalde mayor held office as the provincial governor and the judge of the Court of First Instance. It was declared a National Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and noted it as "an outstanding and unique example of civil architecture from the Spanish and American colonial periods". Local offices that were housed by the building abandoned it when Typhoon "Cosme" ripped off its roof in 2008. Since 2023, the building houses the Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum.

History

Historical marker unveiled in 2021

In the 1840s, the 1,480-square-meter, two-story Casa Real made of stone masonry and bricks, which stands at the municipal plaza, was constructed. It also became the station of Spanish soldiers and their native recruits when they fought the Katipuneros.

During the American period, it was called 'capitol' and served as the office of the governor. When Judge William Howard Taft and his commissioners went to Lingayen, Pangasinan, they were given a grand reception at Casa Real on February 16, 1901. This happened after the Taft Commission organized Pangasinan as a civil province. In 1918, the seat of the provincial government was eventually transferred to what is now the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol Building. ^[1]

In the 1930s, Casa Real was used as an elementary school, then as a Juzgado and, later, as offices of the municipal government. ^[1]

Casa Real survived the damages brought by World War II. However, in 2008, Tropical Storm Cosme damaged the building, blowing away its roof. ^{[2] [3]}

Since 2023, the structure houses the Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Renovations

As early as 2012, the provincial government of Lingayen, Pangasinan, had planned on renovating the once seat of power of the north. Five million pesos was allocated for its initial phase of renovation, to turn the currently inhabitable building into a museum that would house old books, documents, artifacts, archaeological relics and other memoirs of historical and cultural values of Pangasinan during the Spanish and American periods. Pangasinan Representative Leopoldo Bataoil proposed the allocation of thirty million pesos from 2015's national budget to add to its initial funding. ^{[2] [3]}

References

1. "History". The Official Website of the Province of Pangasinan and its People. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
2. Cardinoza, Gabriel (September 30, 2014). "From old seat of Pangasinan gov't to museum". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
3. Riñoza, Jojo; Basa-Iñigo, Liezel (September 28, 2014). "Pangasinan bringing life back to Casa Real, new Baywalk". The Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
4. Austria, Hilda (September 4, 2023). "Pangasinan launches first provincial museum". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
5. Austria, Hilda (September 24, 2023). "Banaan museum relives rich history, culture of Pangasinan". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
6. Bracamonte, Earl D.C. (September 24, 2023). "Pangasinan opens first provincial museum featuring works of local artists". Philstar Global. Retrieved September 19, 2024.