Beyond The Façade of Villa Lizares

BEYOND THE FAÇADE OF VILLA LIZARES
(ANGELICUM SCHOOL)
I. BACKGROUND OF THE STRUCTURE
Reflecting a mix of American and Spanish architectural styles, the Lizares
Mansion is one of Iloilo City’s most beautiful heritage mansions. It was built in
1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares, a Jaro-born sugar baron, and stands in
testimony of Iloilo’s booming sugar industry during its heyday. The Lizares
compound along with the mansion was sold to the Domincans in 1962 and
became home of Angelicum School Iloilo from 1978. The mansion now serves
as the school’s chapel.
Every December, the Lizares Mansion transforms into an even more
awe-inspiring sight as thousands of Christmas lights adorn every inch of its
facade.
II. S.W.O.T. (STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND
THREATS) ANALYSIS
a. Strength.
i. It is known as one of the most remarkable mansions in
Iloilo (Guia, 2014). Lizares Mansion is also one of the most
elegant reminders of Iloilo's rich and noble past is the
imposing Lizares Mansion in Tabuc Suba, Jaro.
ii. The mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It
has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor

and doors made of hardwood. It has 59 doors which indicate
the intricacy of its layout.
iii. This provokes the notable true Beaux-Arts ornamentation
that is elaborately detailed with classical Roman carvings of
leaves, flowers, and fruits on cornices, capitals, fascia, and
friezes. The Lizares mansion was relatively restrained, using
Tuscan order columns rather than florid Corinthian, and
simple rectilinear patterns on cornices and soffits (the ceiling
or underpart of the eaves) instead of intricate triglyphs and
metopes. Still, details such as the gold-leaf mosaic, and the
overall grandiosity of the structure made for an impressive,
in-your-face statement of prosperity amidst the sugar cane
fields of Jaro (Torres,2018).
b. Weaknesses.
i. The mansion is quite aged since it was built in 1937. It
carries dark history with its years of glory. When World
War II broke out, the family left for a safe hiding place in
Pototan, Iloilo. The mansion was then used as headquarters
of the Japanese army. It was believed that the basement
became a dumping ground for tortured Filipinos (ILOILO:
The HEART of the PHILIPPINES, 2014). This shows that it
is a challenge for the present owner of the structure to

maintain its beauty in spite of the eerie past that the structure
has.
ii. It needs careful maintenance since the materials are old and
should be maintained to preserve its authentic Beaux-Arts
Style ornamentation (Torres, 2018).
c. Opportunities
i. It can contribute to the aspect of tourism in our country that
engages stakeholders to promote our cultural heritage.
The splendid mansion of Villa Lizares now houses one of the
more progressive schools in the Philippines, the Angelicum
School Iloilo, and is now a fusion of culture old and new
(Guia, 2014).
ii. The mansion can be one of the magnificent landmarks
visited by local folks every Christmas because of the
fabulous display of Christmas lights that decorate each inch
of the Lizares Mansion – its oldest building set within a
sweeping lawn of green grass – the main feature of the
panoramic view of the school (Guia, 2014).
iii. It could be a considerable site for educational tour and
learning experience for art and history enthusiasts such as
students in architectural field and even professionals. On
August 16, 2014, a group of participants called “Blog the City

of Love” enjoyed their visit on this mansion to promote Iloilo
City which signifies its potential for knowledge dissemination
about this ancestral house heritage (Guia, 2014).
d. Threats
i. Often coming alongside tourism, development is another
threat to this ancestral dwelling. The Lizares mansion
was sold to the Dominican Order in the Philippines in the late
1970s, and is now the seat of Angelicum School Iloilo--a
private, Catholic school run by the Order of the Preachers
(Dominicans), who made the school a pioneer in a non-
graded, open-classroom education system in the
Philippines. It’s one of those developments that may seem
like a small change, or something inevitable with the
continuous development of the country (Guia, 2014).
ii. Ephemeral Value of Heritage. It’s often hard to give
something as broad a term as “cultural heritage” a value,
especially when an area is rapidly shifting. The materials
are slightly wearing down, and often they’ve been built with
a now aging material that was once brand new, and we’re
only now having to look at how to conserve it (Torres,
2018).
iii. Strong reliance to tourist trade and income. This factor
might overpower the emphasis on cultural heritage value.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Guia, J. (2014). Villa Lizares and the Angelicum School Iloilo. [online] Vigattin
Tourism (ARTICLES) - Philippines. Retrieved from:
https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Villa-Lizares-and-the-
Angelicum-School-Iloilo Retrieved on13 May 2019.
ILOILO: The HEART of the PHILIPPINES (2014). Iloilo Ancestral Houses: The
Lizares Mansion in Jaro. [online] Iloilo-travel-guide.blogspot.com.
Retrieved from: https://iloilo-travel-guide.blogspot.com/2014/08/iloilo-
ancestral-houses-lizares-mansion.html Retrieved on 13 May 2019.
Torres, J. (2018). The grand Beaux-Arts style now even clearer in Iloilo's
Lizares mansion. [online] BluPrint. Retrieved from:
https://bluprint.onemega.com/lizares-mansion-angelicum-school-iloilo/
Retrieved on 13 May 2019.

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BEYOND THE FAÇADE OF VILLA LIZARES

I. BACKGROUND OF THE STRUCTURE

Reflecting a mix of American and Spanish architectural styles, the Lizares

1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares, a Jaro-born sugar baron, and stands in

as the school’s chapel.

Every December, the Lizares Mansion transforms into an even more

awe-inspiring sight as thousands of Christmas lights adorn every inch of its

II. S.W.O.T. (STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND

i. It is known as one of the most remarkable mansions in

Iloilo (Guia, 2014). Lizares Mansion is also one of the most

elegant reminders of Iloilo's rich and noble past is the

imposing Lizares Mansion in Tabuc Suba, Jaro.

ii. The mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It

has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor

the intricacy of its layout.

iii. This provokes the notable true Beaux-Arts ornamentation

that is elaborately detailed with classical Roman carvings of

leaves, flowers, and fruits on cornices, capitals, fascia, and

friezes. The Lizares mansion was relatively restrained, using

Tuscan order columns rather than florid Corinthian, and

simple rectilinear patterns on cornices and soffits (the ceiling

or underpart of the eaves) instead of intricate triglyphs and

metopes. Still, details such as the gold-leaf mosaic, and the

overall grandiosity of the structure made for an impressive,

in-your-face statement of prosperity amidst the sugar cane

fields of Jaro (Torres,2018).

i. The mansion is quite aged since it was built in 1937. It

carries dark history with its years of glory. When World

Pototan, Iloilo. The mansion was then used as headquarters

of the Japanese army. It was believed that the basement

became a dumping ground for tortured Filipinos (ILOILO:

The HEART of the PHILIPPINES, 2014). This shows that it

is a challenge for the present owner of the structure to

should be maintained to preserve its authentic Beaux-Arts

Style ornamentation (Torres, 2018).

i. It can contribute to the aspect of tourism in our country that

engages stakeholders to promote our cultural heritage.

The splendid mansion of Villa Lizares now houses one of the

more progressive schools in the Philippines, the Angelicum

School Iloilo, and is now a fusion of culture old and new

ii. The mansion can be one of the magnificent landmarks

visited by local folks every Christmas because of the

fabulous display of Christmas lights that decorate each inch

of the Lizares Mansion – its oldest building set within a

sweeping lawn of green grass – the main feature of the

panoramic view of the school (Guia, 2014).

iii. It could be a considerable site for educational tour and

learning experience for art and history enthusiasts such as

students in architectural field and even professionals. On

August 16, 2014, a group of participants called “Blog the City

City which signifies its potential for knowledge dissemination

about this ancestral house heritage (Guia, 2014).

i. Often coming alongside tourism, development is another

threat to this ancestral dwelling. The Lizares mansion

was sold to the Dominican Order in the Philippines in the late

1970s, and is now the seat of Angelicum School Iloilo--a

private, Catholic school run by the Order of the Preachers

(Dominicans), who made the school a pioneer in a non-

graded, open-classroom education system in the