Bought in the 50’s, the James Tevar House was initially a dowry house for the marriage of Clemente Tevar and Merced Tevar (nee Estipona). As their family grew and they decided to settle down in a subdivision in Ma-a called GEM Village. Fun fact, GEM was actually an acronym for Government Employees to which the housing was intended. The couple were public school teachers and were one of the few families that took a unit. This house was eventually called the TEVAR Ancestral House.
The dowry house was further extended taking on a new area called the Annex. The couple intended this to be a boarding house for college students that are seeking board and lodgings in the city. Merced eventually became Associate Dean in University of Southeastern Philippines where she got tenure and retired.
Clemente took it upon himself to plan, construct, and furnish the new boarding house with the help of his second son and third child James Tevar. Together, both father and son elevated the property into a 3-storey apartment building. They combined rooms and subdivided quarters to make the building able to accommodate up to five two-bedroom units.
When it came to designating a managing landlord for the property, Clemente and Merced decided to appoint James himself to oversee the operations. The house is colloquially called “Boulevard” as it is located in Davao’s prominent Quezon Boulevard street. However, with James at its helm and as its resident landlord, it is eventually and now officially referred to as the “James Tevar House” or the James House for short.
At the time of writing, new plans for further development are underway with James now assisted by his children and siblings, continuing operations as a family business. James House is open for inquiries but with limited hours for visits due to the continuing pandemic.
If you have any questions regarding the James House Apartment Building, contact us at 09298465257. You can also check out our Facebook page for updates: fb.com/jamestevarhouse.
Leave a Reply