Balay Negrense
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The Balay Negrense ( Hiligaynon for Negrense House), also known as Victor Fernandez Gaston Ancestral House, is a museum in
Silay City Silay, officially the City of Silay (; ), is a component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 130,478 people. Silay is often referred to as the "Paris of Negros" due to ...
,
Negros Occidental Negros Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Negros, Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically s ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, showcasing the
lifestyle Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture. The term "style of life" () was introduced by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in his 1929 book, ''The Case of Miss R.'', w ...
of a late 19th-century Negrense sugar baron. It is notable for being the first museum to be established in the province of Negros Occidental.


History

The Balay Negrense was originally the ancestral house of Victor F. Gaston, a son of Yves Leopold Germain Gaston and Prudencia Fernandez. The elder Gaston is credited as one of the pioneers of
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
cultivation in this portion of the
Philippine archipelago As an archipelago, the Philippines comprises about 7,641 islands clustered into three major island groups: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Only about 2,000 islands are inhabited,
. A native of
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, he married a
Filipina Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino, English, or other Philippine languages. Despite formerly being subject to ...
from
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
where he initially began experimenting with sugar production before relocating to Negros. Built around 1900, the house was constructed when Victor Gaston's wife died and during the time when he was residing in his father's hacienda, Hacienda Buen Retiro. The structure housed Victor Gaston and his twelve children from 1901 until his death in 1927. Left unused by the family, the structure was abandoned in the mid-1970s and fell into disrepair until one of the heirs, Msgr. Guillermo Ma. Gaston, together with a group of concerned Negrenses formed what would later become the Negros Cultural Foundation. In 1992, Msgr. Guillermo Ma. Gaston donated the Victor Gaston house to the
Philippine Tourism Authority The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), formerly the Philippine Tourism Authority (), is an agency of the Philippine national government under the Department of Tourism responsible for implementing policies and progr ...
(now known as the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority). With donations from prominent individuals and a PhP5,000,000.00 assistance from the
Philippine Tourism Authority The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), formerly the Philippine Tourism Authority (), is an agency of the Philippine national government under the Department of Tourism responsible for implementing policies and progr ...
, the structure was repaired and furnished with period furniture and fixtures. The museum was officially inaugurated on October 6, 1990. Pursuant to Board Resolution No. 1 dated March 8, 1994, of the National Historical Institute of the Philippines (
National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...
), it was listed as a heritage house. In 2023 the museum was closed temporarily, as the house needed major restoration and was returned to members of the Gaston family. https://visayandailystar.com/capitol-to-restore-develop-balay-negrense/?amp


Architecture

The house is of the type called
Bahay na bato ''Báhay na bató'' ( Filipino for "stone house"), also known in Visayan as ''baláy na bató'' or ''balay nga bato'', and in Spanish language as ''Casa de Filipina'' is a type of building originating during the Spanish colonial period of ...
, literally "house of stone", however, reflecting American colonial influences, the lower
storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...
is not constructed of stone but of
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
. The foundation posts are made out of trunks of the ''balayong'' tree, a local
hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
; the floorboards are of the same material. The house's upper storey is constructed of wood topped with a roof of galvanized iron instead of tile (reflecting the late-19th century trend started in
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owing to a
rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to a business * School rule, a rule th ...
discouraging the use of tiles in favor of then-novel ''hiero'' as roofing material in the aftermath of the
1880 Luzon earthquakes The 1880 Southern Luzon earthquakes, were one of the most destructive tremors on record in the history of the country. The shocks continued, with greater or less interruption, from July 14–25, 1880; highlighted by three violent quakes measurin ...
). The house has a four-metre high ceiling and large windows with '' ventanillas'', smaller windows beneath the large windows with sliding panels that can be opened to admit the wind. The lower storey itself is elevated from ground level by a metre-high crawlspace, allowing the wooden foundations to be aired, preventing dampness from rotting the wood.


See also

* Yves Leopold Germain Gaston * Mariano Ramos Ancestral House *
The Ruins (mansion) The Lacson Ruins are the remains of the ancestral mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson. It is situated in Talisay, Negros Occidental, Talisay, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The mansion was built in early 1900s and inspire ...
*
Hacienda Rosalia Hacienda Rosalia, also known as Hacienda Santa Rosalia, is a compound where the ancestral home mansion of Gaston family and the Church of Cartwheels are located. It is situated in Manapla, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The mansion was built in ...
*
Silliman Hall The Silliman Hall is a building constructed in the Stick Style of American architecture in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines. It was built in the early 1900s. It was converted to a museum in 1970. It is located in Dumaguete, Negros Orient ...
*
Dizon-Ramos Museum The Dizon-Ramos Museum is situated in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines beside the Mariano Ramos Ancestral House. History The house was built in 1950s. It was converted to a museum in 2007. It is located in Burgos Ave, Bacolod, Negros Oc ...
*
Museo Negrense de La Salle The Museo Negrense de La Salle () is located within the campus of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, Philippines beside the St. La Salle Coliseum. It is the only school-based museum in the Negros region. History The museum was officially ...


References


External links

* {{Commons category-inline Houses completed in 1897 Museums established in 1990 Heritage Houses in the Philippines Historic house museums in the Philippines 1990 establishments in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Silay Tourist attractions in Negros Occidental