A virtual tour into a historic, artistic past at Palacio de Memoria
RESTORED prewar mansion and cultural destination Palacio de Memoria has stood at the same 95 Roxas Boulevard address since the 1930s, watching cars drive past by along with the years. The property has adapted to the times, and as the world deals with the current pandemic-imposed stay-at-home reality, it adapts once more.
Home to period artworks previously accessible only through by-appointment tours, Palacio de Memoria has announced that its rich collection of Euro-filipino paintings, sculptures, art displays, and historical pieces can now be viewed online through a virtual tour of the estate at its web site (www. palaciodememoria.com).
“With most of us being isolated from the outside world, we hope that Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour will give people respite during these uncertain times,” said Palacio de Memoria General Manager Camille Lhuillier. “We also wish to keep them productive as they learn and get a glimpse of a significant time in our history that was once Manila’s prime.”
Not much is known about the original owners and architect of the estate. Anecdotal reports cited on the mansion’s web site claim that the once-seaside property was originally commissioned by Antonio Melian y Pavia, third Count of Peracamps, for his bride Margarita Zóbel de Ayala.
Information about the property’s designer is even more scarce, other than the Art Deco terrazzo flooring of fascinating tinikling motif in the main ballroom being credited to National Artist for Architecture Juan F. Nakpil.
In World War II, the property somehow withstood the Battle of Manila, and was subsequently acquired by a physician and surgeon named Dr. Francisco Villaroman. The doctor’s family grew and with it, the mansion. He topped the two-story building with five additional floors, each with its own kitchen and accessed through staircases and an elevator. On the upper floors was a clinic, a morgue, and a therapeutic pool. The mansion was passed on to generations of Villaromans. In the early 2000s, however, the property was purchased by the Lhuillier family.
The mansion and its grounds have undergone massive rehabilitation over the last three years to serve as home to the family-managed auction house, Casa de Memoria. The mansion is also open as an arts and events space, as well venue to the objets d’art and furniture concern Rue Angelique.
The development of Palacio de Memoria was guided by art curator and interior designer Miguel Rosales. He ensured that the building maintain much of the original homestead, including the terrazzo floors that ante-date the Villaroman purchase. Elsewhere, dark wood panelings were removed, walls knocked down, and the rooms reconfigured.
All this and the rest of the estate can be viewed through the virtual tour. It begins with an aerial, outdoor view of the estate, framing the restored prewar mansion in all its glory. The tour leads to the first floor that shows the Los Tamaraos Ballroom and its Murano chandelier, as well as the aforementioned Nakpil terrazzo floor.
Virtual guests have the option to choose where to go. They can proceed to the showroom of Casa de Memoria at the third floor of the mansion, or outside the building and into the Mosphil Lounge, a passenger plane that that was refitted as a lounge for special occasions. Another choice is to visit the new ecclesiastical museum that also serves as a chapel for intimate weddings and religious gatherings.
As stated on the web site, “Palacio de Memoria is a place that holds centuries worth of history.”
“The Palacio showcases the best of Filipino and European cultural heritage. [It] harkens to a time where Manila and the Philippines was the true Pearl of the Orient.” ■