Within the walls of Intramuros, the once highly regarded former central of Philippine commerce, trade, politics, religion, and academic excellence. Truly, it was the identifying location of Manila during the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines. As that time suggests, there were many wealthy Spaniards and Filipino Illustrados who were upheld highly by the society at that time. These people would often occupy grand, stately mansions that they called their homes, and those mansions that we speak of can also be found within Intramuros City. Enter Casa Manila, a three-story structure located within the Walled City that shows architecture and antique furniture in the Philippines from the 1850s.

Casa Manila was constructed in 1981, under the direction of Arch. Ramón Faustmann, and was a replica of an 1850s San Nicolas house that was once located in Calle Jaboneros. It is a museum aimed at showcasing the domestic lifestyle of a native principalia during the Spanish regime. It is visited frequently by students and tourists, locals and foreigners alike. Casa Manila is full of architectural designs the Spaniards incorporated into their buildings, from the main gate of the mansion or Puerta Principal, the oficina and biblioteca (office and library) of the second floor of the house, the caida which has a bigger and grander anteroom on the third floor, to the sala, which is so spacious and filled with such rich furniture it can pass off as a hotel lobby. Speaking of hotel lobbies, once inside, a guide will remind you frequently to not stray from the red carpet that stretches accross the halls of the musuem. Visitors are not allowed to go beyond the red carpet to keep the mansion’s hardwood floors scratch-free. Certain rooms and furniture are also cordoned off, one can only observe and admire, not touch.

In the present, when COVID-19 struck the world, many tourist attractions temporarily closed down. Despite the unprecedented situation, Intramuros was hailed as Asia's leading tourist attraction in the 2020 World Travel Awards. It created great incitation for the upcoming reopening of the "Walled City". Not to mention the national year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Philippines' significant role in the narrative of the first-ever circumnavigation of the world, as well as Filipinos celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Casa Manila Museum reopened its doors to the public on Feb. 17 2021, following stricter protocols to ensure health safety amidst the ongoing pandemic threat. Ever since it re-opened, it has been confirmed that the museum has gotten a stunning makeover with a lot of editing and attention to detail. The man behind this project was Architect Antón Mendoza