The City of Smiles Part 4

Day 5, May 8

In our 5th day, we had another adventure. Not only do we have old historical houses in Vigan, but we also have in Bacolod City ! These old houses are located in Silay, Bacolod and upon arriving, you can actually feel that you have been sent back to the past – Jose Rizal era. There were a few houses that needed TLC and there were some (like the ancestral houses) that were well taken care of. An example of an ancestral house that was turned into a museum is called Balay Negrense. Balay Negrense is known for its concrete and brown wooden exteriors and how it still stands strong among the many old houses located in Silay.

Victor Fernandez Gaston, the owner of the house and a sugar baron, built this home at the year 1897. When the house was done with repairs and constructions in 1901, he along with his 12 sons and daughters, moved in. As problems arised, they divided their time between this house and Hacienda Buen Retiro. In 1927, when Victor Gaston passed away, the house was passed on to his children and to the next generation til this became vacant.

Before you can actually enter, we had to pay entrance fee. Then, our tour started.

First Floor