Hofileña Museum

Did you know that there were only 29 surviving ancestral houses identified by the National Historical Museum? Silay City showcases a few of these houses and has been dubbed as the "Museum City" of the Philippines.

When you stumble yourself in Silay City remember to visit the well preserved ancestral houses like the Hofileña Museum, Balay Negrense and The Ruins.

Fast Facts:

• First house in Silay City to be opened to the public, in 1962, 30 years before the next house did likewise.

• First house in Silay, still inhabited, to be declared a museum, in 1980s, by National Commission for Culture & the Arts.

• First house in Silay, to be installed with historical market, in 1996 by the National Historical Commission.

• First successful postwar art promotions & first successful drive for vintage architecture preservation both began here in 1962.

During Marcos presidency, one resident dared oppose & succeed in thwarting the widening of Silay's highway that would have resulted in the destruction of many ancestral houses & buildings.

Collection of vintage Christian figurines were placed on a dedicated altar.

Old paper bills kept on a closed glass display to ward off pests.

And even a copy of the Sunday Express' historical headline that shock the world over.

This my friends is a meteorite. Yes, a true blue rock from space! They even sell some as souvenirs.  Since I was on a tight budget, I opted to skip this. Perfect souvenir item for your astronomically inclined friend.

One of the many highlights in the house is their collection of toys and dolls. Above is the smallest dolls ever made. If you do look closely, you can see that one dons a mustache. Reminded me of my blogger friend, Mustachio!

The family were one of the few who can afford a printing press machine like this one. Each print is marked with a number signifying their order of print. I am totally fascinated with these things, I could never quite imagine the painstaking task of printing out a sheet of newspaper and repeating it tenfold. Museum visits like these enables me to cherish the advancements of technology and how it helps to provide efficiency and makes our lives even easier.

This functional  200-year old German Steinweig piano has been played by the family members during their parties and as a means of entertainment. This is still functional as of today. The family boasts of artists from; a ballerina, a singer and an actor.

Did you know that the stairs were made out of ironwood or balayong? It is still at it's pristine condition when we visited. Due to its reputation for hardness, the wood barely gets infested with termites. It's amazing how this stood the test of time.

Apart from its overall look, the house is also a repository of art finds collected by the owner-curator Ramon Hofileña and his family. The second floor is a gallery of over 1,000 art treasures, featuring the paintings and sketches of national artists Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo and Fernando Amorsolo to name a few. Taking pictures on the second floor is prohibited hence I do not have any for this post.

Hofileña Museum Admission Fees:

Adults - Php50

Hofileña Museum
14 Cinco de Noviembre, Silay City

Braving Bacolod Series
Braving Bacolod - Getting There
Braving Bacolod: En Route
Silay City
El Ideal
Balay Negrense
Hofileña Museum
The Ruins
Calea Pastries & Coffee