Camella Northpoint, the British colonial-themed condo development of Camella Communities, has started to take shape within the heart of Davao City’s emerging north business and commercial district, earning this early a reputation as a premier project with a living proposition that is unmatched by any of the vertical projects in the city.
But beyond the condominium development lies a more compelling character that has yet to unfold, one that is undeniably rooted in the rich history of Davao and the land that Northpoint stands on.
The real story of Camella Northpoint will be told as development progresses, anchored on the city’s verdant environment and rich heritage as a people. And like the melting pot of cultures that Davao is, Camella Northpoint will be an amalgam of the Dabawenyo’s way of life – simple, quiet, yet full of color, vigor, and life.
Camella Northpoint has not only one story, but many interesting stories, that attest to the richness of the history of its land and the people who lived on it as a vast abaca plantation in the early 1900s. Its history is so rich and colorful, the development taking place on it now and in the future is careful to lend dignity to the land and its environs.
The History
It all started in the early 1900s, when a Scotsman, Robert Ker, arrived in Davao to establish his own abaca business. Ker had been engaged in abaca trading since the 1800s, and came to Davao to put up his own plantation. He acquired property that overlooked the Davao Gulf, building a white European-inspired house that became his home and base of operations.
Ker leased the neighboring lands to expand his plantation, and others in the community started to grow abaca to sell to him. By the 1920s, Davao had become the center of abaca production in the Philippines, a large part of it owed to Ker and his business undertakings.
Ker ceased his abaca operations in 1961 but continued its distribution business, leaving the plantation house to become the residence of the Davao branch manager of Ker & Company up to the time it was sold to Camella in 2009.
While Scottish by birth, Ker had become one of the Dabawenyos, fondly remembered by the people, especially descendants of his many employees who tell stories of him bestowing his land to their families.
This bond was strengthened by the citation given by the National Historical Commission to Ker & Company as one of the top 10 oldest companies in the Philippines. Ker had become an indelible part of Davao’s rich history, as one of its foreign inhabitants who became purveyors of commercial development.
Until now, even as the property takes new shape with the construction of the condominiums, the people of Davao, or at least those who knew of the original owners of the property, still nurture good memories of the Scotsman.
The White House
At the highest elevation of Northpoint is the colonial plantation dwelling built by Ker, now called the White House or The Mansion, perched on a verdant hill of green grass and dotted with statuesque age-old Acacia trees, with new imported Caribbean pine trees growing robustly around it.
Robert Ker purportedly viewed his abaca plantation from the White House’s tall, wide windows that gave him a vantage view from all angles. It is believed that the elevation gave him a feel of the highlands of Scotland.
This magnificent European-style house stood sentinel over Davao’s transformation, from its plantation years to the bustling metropolis that it is now fast becoming. For many decades it had stood on that prominent hill, an imposing sight from below, waxing mystique over the fertile imagination of young and not-so-young Dabawenyos who would cast an upward glance each time they passed by it.
Over the years, the White House has become a local landmark, remembered as a place to play by those lucky enough to have had access to its vast lawns. The rest of the people content themselves with gazing at the house atop the hill, aspiring to see it first-hand in its old grandeur.
Now, as it stands still in the amidst of the modern development of Camella Northpoint, the White House holds its own as a symbol of good living, something that Dabawenyos are proud to be known for. It provides the inspiration for the master plan development of Northpoint as Camella pursues development that respects the existing architecture of this iconic structure.
Camella Northpoint is unquestionably a modern development, but the rich history of its land will be preserved by restoring the White House to its former glory. It can take a further step by involving the community in the restoration efforts, through the architectural society, educational institutions, artists, and local restorers in the city.
These are two of the compelling stories of Northpoint, whose vision unfolds as it undergoes development, making it a destination of choice that has a remarkable character uniquely its own.
A subsidiary of Vista Land & Lifescapes, the largest homebuilder in the country, Camella Communities continues to create masterplan communities that are unmatched in value and character. Camella holds offices at G/F Karpentrade Bldg., McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City, with contact numbers 298-0387 and 298-0300. #
