Marquez Lim mansion converted to commercial purposes
The Marquez Lim family ancestral home is now being restored. It will be converted into a venue for wedding, birthday and debut celebrations. It is located at Mapa Street, City Proper near Sta. Maria Catholic Church.
The Marquez Lim ancestral house was inherited by former Senator Nikki Coseteng from her mother Alicia Guanco Marquez Lim. She is the fifth generation of Marquez Lim to have inherited the house.
Coseteng said the house restoration is being made by Marcelo Alonzo, a Manila-based interior designer. The old glass blocks, tiles and all portions of the house which reflects its antiquity are being restored. Even the old faucets were rechromed. The house was also repainted with olive green to look livelier. Before it looks like a white house.
Coseteng said she wants to share the house with everyone as part of Iloilo's rich heritage. She said in one time the Marquez Lim ancestral house has a lot of stories to tell. "We are even looking for more pictures how the house looks like before,"Coseteng added.
She said the house was built in the mid 30s by her great grandfather Pedro Marquez Lim and great grandmother Concordia. It used to be a wooden house. It was destroyed during the Japanese regime and was rebuilt after the war.
The heiress said she wants to restore the house and wants to see the house stand as close as possible to the grand old days. The house served as venue for her parents' wedding reception after they made their marital vows at the San Jose Parish Church.