Balay Negrense, Heritage house in Silay, Philippines
Balay Negrense is a two-story wooden house in Silay with twelve bedrooms, high ceilings, and large windows designed for natural cooling. The structure uses tropical hardwood throughout to create ventilation and comfort in the warm climate.
Built in 1897 for Victor Gaston, whose father was a French sugar planter, the house became home to a large family in this growing agricultural region. The structure shows the wealth and influence of plantation families who shaped the area's economy during the early 1900s.
The house displays furniture and household objects from around 1900, revealing how sugar plantation families lived in their daily routines. The rooms show the domestic spaces and personal items that shaped their world.
The house is open during daytime hours and sits on a historic street lined with other old buildings in the town center. A guide walks you through the rooms and explains the displays at your own pace.
The foundation uses local hardwood from the Mindoro islands, blending Filipino craftsmanship with European design ideas of the era. This mix of materials and building styles makes the house stand out from typical European mansions of that period.
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