Art Moderne flourished in a time of peace and plenty in the Philippines. It found expression in the houses of Filipinos, who brimmed with self-confidence.
The Márquez Lim House is named after Mr. José Márquez Lim. But it was his parents, Don Pedro Lim and Doña Concordia Asensi, who had it built.
Mr. José Márquez Lim and his wife, the former Miss Judith Guanco, begot Alice. In turn, Alice and her husband, Emerson Coseteng, begot Anna Dominique (Nikki), the fourth-generation owner of the house. Nikki, like her grandmother, suffragette Doña Nicetas de Guanco, did not allow her gender to prevent her from serving the country. In fact, like her great grandfather, Senator Espiridión Guanco, she became senator of the Philippines.
“I am happy and proud that the house ended up with me,” says Nikki. “It feels great to have so much heritage behind me. That is something money cannot buy.” In 2006, she had the house refurbished.
For over four decades, Mrs. Alice Coseteng collected santos, which her daughter, Nikki, tastefully utilized for the altar of the Márquez Lim House.
Source: Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro and Vicente Roman Santos in Estilo Ilonggo: Philippine Southern Lifestyle published by KCC Innovations in cooperation with DOT (2009).
