Constructed around 1860-1865 by couple Julio Roman Vital and Rosa Gania Vital, the Balay nga Bato in Calle Gobyierno in San Jose de Buenavista in Antique province is a stand-out historical piece.
It is said that the house was eventually given to Dr. Raymundo Azurin in the 1920s by Amparo Vital, the widowed wife of Felix Vital who inherited the stone house. Azurin was the family physicians of the Vitals.
Dr. Azurin lived in the house with his wife Consuelo Gella the daughter of Antique Governor Vicente Gella until it was taken by the Japanese during the war and had it converted into a hospital. It was returned to the Azurins after the liberation and eventually time has taken a toll on the house’ declining structural integrity.
With the help of the office of Senator Loren Legarda and the Department of Tourism and the National Historical Institute, the old house was renovated after the Azurins agreed to a 30-year usufruct agreement with the provincial government.
Today, it is open to the public and houses artworks and pieces and serves as a museum reminding its guests of what life in Antique was during the earlier times