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No passerby plying along Eugenio Lopez Street, one of Iloilo
City’s busiest routes, would want to miss taking a glance at what is considered
the city’s grandest home, the Don Vicente Lopez Mansion, set in a sprawling
property known as Nelly Gardens. Dubbed as the Taj Mahal of Iloilo, Nelly
Garden served as the immortal manifest for the love of Don Vicente to her
lovely wife, Doña Elena, nee Hofileña. Among the many splendid mansions of Old
Jaro, Iloilo, nothing has beaten Nelly Gardens as the finest of these belle
époque residences that enduringly captures the full essence, and the length and
breadth of the wealth and splendor of the legendary Iloilo sugar fortunes at
their height in the 1920s to the 30s.
It was 2 pm, usually hot for an outdoor trip, but we decided
there was no better time than that to visit this queen of prewar mansions. Our
tour guide thought we were a group, but was pleased enough to find out that
there were only the two of us. She asked us why did we venture into Nelly
Gardens. Because we were curious with what’s inside, we said. After all,
history buffs as we were, we couldn’t miss the chance of taking a glimpse at the
way of life of the old rich before. Anyway, one reason why I wanted to get in
here was because of the Ikaw Lamang
fever. Oh, well, for the love of the hacienderos,
lol. And here was where our step back in time began…
The House that Love
(and Money) Built
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| The mansion's imposing facade. |
The original progenitor of the extensive Lopez fortune was
Basilio Lopez and Sabina Jalandoni. The couple had sixteen children, one of
which was Benito, who fathered Vicente. Vicente married the wealthy and
enchanting heiress, Elena Hofileña y Javelona. Their union was blessed with
four children: Nelly, Benito, Lilia, and Vicente. But what immortalized their
love story were Nelly Gardens and the mansion that stood on it.
The family used to live along Calle Iznart, Old Jaro’s busiest street then. However, Doña Elena,
tired of the noise brought by passersby yearned to live somewhere where she and
her family could enjoy a bit of privacy and silence. And since she loved flowers
and gardening, Don Vicente deemed it fit to look for a more expansive property,
befitting his family’s status as one of the richest in Iloilo. With more money
pouring from their sugarcane estates in Negros, Don Vicente purchased a
two-hectare lot for only P1.00 per square meter. The design and construction of
this all-concrete, Beaux Arts structure was directly supervised by Don Vicente
himself, together with civil engineer Mariano Salas.
The residence began as a
simple two-storey residence. As the family’s fortune multiplied and as their
social obligations increased, the house was continually enlarged and
embellished to match their status. It is unknown when the construction
commenced, but the house was ready for occupancy in 1928. The mansion’s
interior flooring was made of tindalo,
the hardest and rarest Philippine wood. Narra
was used for the walls of the interior. Machuca tiles adorned the flooring of
the veranda.
During its heyday the property, named after the couple’s
eldest daughter, was also famous for its thriving flower garden. Doña Elena had
eight gardeners to tend her collection of floras that included orchids, roses,
million flowers, and many more. To add charm and for the children’s
entertainment, Don Vicente added a lagoon where they enjoyed boat rides. A
tennis court, a mini-golf course and a swimming pool made living in the mansion
more fun. In fact, the house was where you can find the first ever billiard
table in Iloilo! Because Nelly Garden used to be home to endless
entertainments, banquets and parties, annexes were added to the house and guest
houses were also built.
An Enduring Witness to the
Grandest Belle Époque Entertainments
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| The mansion's grand staircase. |
During the prewar era, the mansion was the definitive place
where the legendary lifestyle of the Iloilo sugar barons was highlighted. Every
reception held in the mansion was considered among the most important events in
the city. Every guest let in by the family was definitely a high profile
personality. The most opulent gathering
in the mansion was the annual birthday ball of Don Vicente every February 2, on
the eve of the festivities of Our Lady of Candles. Family members, as well as
the elite from Iloilo and Manila, were handed invitations and society’s most
elegant and wealthiest would emerge at the doorstep. Guests were required to
wear only their most formal and finest; gentlemen had to wear black tie, while
ladies should be in long gowns made even grander by their most magnificent
jewels. Ladies and gentlemen enjoyed sumptuous cuisines and the fountain that
sat at the dining hall overflew with champagne.
Guests danced to the tune of the music played by full orchestras.
Indeed, anyone who secured an invitation to Don Vicente’s ball meant entrance to
Iloilo and Manila’s top social set.
A World War II Survivor
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| The mansion is home to the first, ever, billiard table in Iloilo City. |
The mansion’s golden years abruptly ended at the start of
World War II. The advancing Japanese forces caused panic in the city and family
members started fleeing for their lives one after the other. Only Don Vicente’s
younger daughter, Doña Lilia, together with her husband and second-cousin, Don
Francisco Jison, and children remained in the mansion. General Macario Peralta,
leader of Panay’s guerilla forces ordered that all houses in the city be burned
before the Japanese could occupy them. When it was the guerillas’ turn to set
the house on fire, they were so stunned by its elegance that the Japanese
invaders came upon them before they had the chance to burn the house. The
Japanese themselves were engrossed with the house’s majesty that they decided
to spare it from harm. The Jisons, too, were saved. The family eventually resumed
residence at the end of the war. To sustain their family, they build a nipa
restaurant on their sprawling estate. American G.I.s frequented the restaurant,
while senior officers had the privilege of joining the family for a meal in the
mansion.
Home to the Powerful
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| The mansion's dining hall. Wine used to flow in the fountain. |
Ownership of the house eventually devolved to Lilia and
Frank, who exerted extra effort in rehabilitating the house and restoring it
back to its former glory. To replenish the furniture and works of art either
lost or destroyed during the war, the couple went on shopping spree in Hong
Kong and Japan, purchasing only the finest pieces they could.
During the post-war era, Nelly Garden opened its doors to presidents,
first ladies, senators, congressmen, businessmen, political handlers and dignitaries
who frequented Iloilo. The mansion was itself a center of political activities,
especially during elections season.
Take the case in 1953. President Ramon Magsaysay stayed at
Nelly Garden when he was in Iloilo to look for Nacionalista Party’s standard
bearer to match Cong. Pascualing Espinosa. President Magsaysay’s political
adviser had his eye on then 22-year old city council Rodolfo Ganzon, famed for
his high spirit, bar topping record and
eye-catching presence. Dubbed as the inanak
sang timawa, Ganzon got Magsaysay’s blessings and rest was history.
In 1965, Nelly Garden welcomed the imperious first lady,
Imelda Marcos, whose “Imeldefic charisma” lured Vicente’s cousin, Fernando
Lopez, to agree to become Ferdinand Marcos’ running mate. In Iloilo, Imelda was
“nobody” and Fernando’s decision to form a pact with Marcos triggered serious
reactions from within the clan. Fernando’s brother, business tycoon Eugenio
Lopez, argued with his younger brother: “You should have made an ex-deal with
the Marcoses.” It was not to be a fair bargain, they reaction but Nanding said,
“I have given my palabra de honor.”
A Tour of the House
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| Nelly Garden's expansive lawn. |
The house is divided into five main areas: the family
heritage room, music and game area, main living area that doubles as a sitting
and ballroom, the dining room, the mezzanine, and the bedrooms upstairs.
The Family Heritage
Room
The Family Heritage Room was once the downstairs bedroom of
Don Vicente. A stroke later in life prevented him from climbing upstairs, so a
room was prepared for him on the mansion’s right wing. Today, guests could
enjoy perusing at the family photographs.
Music and Game Area
Don Vicente’s children were musically gifted. This part of
the house was a witness to their talents: Benito would play the violin, Nelly the
piano, Lilia the piano and the harp, and Vicente the cello. Later, the Jisons
installed a billiard table, the city’s first.
The Main Living Room
and Sitting Area
The main living area is home to some of the family’s most
prized heirlooms. Whenever balls were held, particularly during Don Vicente’s
birthday, the furniture were removed to make enough space for the orchestra and
guests.
The Dining Room
The focal point of the dining room is the 24-seater narra
table that accommodated the numerous Lopez relatives and friends who frequented
the mansion. The table was gifted to Don Vicente by his brother, Don Carlos. To
add color, pots of bougainvilleas were usually placed at the center of the table.
The Mezzanine or
“Palco”
The mansion’s mezzanine was reserved for elderly guests and
dignitaries, where they can sit and watch the orchestra and guests dancing
below.
The Bedrooms
Upstairs are five suites that showcased period pieces of
furniture. The most notable of these rooms is the Presidential Suite, were
several presidents of the republic, together with their family, slept whenever
they visited Iloilo City. Most of the rooms are still being used by the Jisons
whenever they’re in town.
Nelly Gardens Today
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| One of the mansion's stained-glass windows. |
These days, the mansion and the gardens remained in
excellent condition. Lilia’s heirs have done so much to maintain the house and
its grounds, as it Lilia Lopez de Jison were still alive. The property is also
being developed to grab the opportunities that 21st century has to offer. At the garden’s entrance are two commercial
buildings that supply income to the property. Function halls within the
property are also for rent and every now and again, weddings, birthdays, and
special occasions grace the grounds, indeed, a chance for every to savor how it
feels to live like an haciendero. Photos by Ralph Lauren Figueroa.
Visit Nelly Gardens
E. Lopez Street
Jaro, Iloilo City
Tel. Nos.: (033) 320-3075 (Iloilo) / (02) 721-2895
Mobile: (639) 05495-5353
