FAQ and Guidelines

Palacio de Memoria is a restored seven-storey pre-war mansion in colonial revival style, dating back to the 1930s. Anecdotal reports claim that the estate and original two story seaside property was originally commissioned by Antonio Melian y Pavia, third Count of Peracamps, for his bride Margarita Zóbel de Ayala. Unfortunately, not much is known about the building’s architect, but an Art Deco terrazo flooring with beautiful tinikling motif in the house's main ballroom is credited to National Artist Juan F. Nakpil. The concrete house surprisingly survived the tragic Battle of Manila. After the war, it was acquired by Dr. Francisco Villaroman, a physician and surgeon. As the doctor’s family grew, five more floors were added, each floor provided with its own kitchen and accessed through staircases and an elevator. On its upper floors was a clinic, a morgue, and a therapeutic pool. Purchased by the Lhuillier family in the early 2000s from the Villaroman heirs, the mansion and its grounds have undergone a 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.

The development of the grounds, home and museum was guided by respected art curator and interior designer Miguel Rosales. Rosales has ensured that the building maintain much of the original homestead, including the terrazzo floors that ante-date the Villaroman purchase. The dark wood panellings were removed, walls were knocked down, and the rooms reconfigured. Termite-infested wood flooring and architectural elements were replaced, the original architectural mouldings cleaned up and highlighted, the wrought iron window and door grilles scrubbed of rust and repainted, and the terrazzo flooring rid of all dirt and repolished.

By adaptive reuse, the house is now used as an arts and events center, which includes the auction house Casa de Memoria, venue rental spaces for events, bar and restaurant, café, and retail stores for international art and antiques. The mansion is also venue to the objets d’art and furniture concern Rue Angelique. An ecclesiastical museum is presently being readied, with the re-use of the previous six car garage and staff quarters which was part of the original property. An retro-fitted vintage airplane was also reconfigured as a lounge.

More than its grand exterior and its even grander interior, Palacio de Memoria is a place that holds centuries worth of history. The Palacio showcases the best of Filipino, and European cultural heritage. The Palacio harkens to a time in our history where Manila and the Philippines was the true Pearl of the Orient.

Tours at Palacio de Memoria are exclusively by appointment. Palacio de Memoria’s guided tours are at P500. Included in the tour are an in-depth tour with a private guide explaining the story behind every piece of furniture, the terrazzo flooring and wrought-iron decor, and works of art now adorning the house. If you wish to explore the house on your own, there’s an admission fee of P200 for adults, P160 for students, and P143 for senior citizens and PWDs. To book a tour, send an e-mail to hello@palaciodememoria.com with your name, e-mail address, and contact number; preferred date and time; and number of visitors.