The Ruins (Bacolod)

Philippines / Western Visayas / Talisay / Bacolod
 ruins, interesting place
The structure of The Ruins is of Italianate architecture with neo-Romanesque columns, having a very close semblance to the facade of Carnegie Hall in New York City. In New England, they often were homes to ship’s captains. A belvedere, facing west, affords a beautiful view of the sunset in a glassed-in sunroom with bay windows.The mansion was built in the early 1900’s by the sugar baron, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson (1865-1948) and was home to his unmarried children with his first wife, Maria Braga (+1911), a Portuguese from Macau.

The mansion was the largest residential structure ever built at that time and had in it one of the finest furnitures, chinawares, and decorative items, as the father of Maria Braga was the captain of a ship that sailed across Europe and Asia and would cart with him these items. One of their daughters maintained a beautiful garden of lilies in and around the 4-tiered fountain fronting the mansion, all brought in from abroad.One of the sons supervised the construction of the mansion making certain that the A-grade mixture of concrete and its pouring was precisely followed.The mansion met its sad fate in the early part of World War II when the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East), then guerilla fighters in the Philippines, burnt the mansion to prevent the Japanese forces from utilizing it as their headquarters. It took days of inferno to bring down the roof and the two-inch wooden floors.To this day, the 903 square meter structure still stands tall amidst sugar plantation and continues to awe both local and foreign tourists. Truly, a picture-perfect backdrop and a magnificent sight to see..

The RUINS is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Mondays through Sundays including holidays. Our restaurant serves Mediterannean food and operates from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. We have recently opened an 18-hole Mini-Golf Course as a recreational fun activity for the whole family. Feel free to get in touch with us at the contact details below..The RUINS is now accessible from the Bata area in Bacolod City. Upon reaching the bottling plant of PEPSI, turn east. About 600 meters away, you will see a cellsite above a 2-story building on the left. Opposite that building you will see a big sign that says ‘THIS WAY TO THE RUINS’. You will enter that narrow street leading to Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens. Follow the small red and yellow signs on the electrical posts which will lead you all the way to The RUINS. Don’t miss this must-see attraction just 15 minutes from the heart of the city.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   10°42'34"N   122°58'59"E

Comments

  • Spectacular ruins of a once opulent mansion. The opportunities for unique photos are limitless with the ruins architecture and grounds. Three best time to arrive are. 1) Sunset. 2) Moon rising. 3) Sunrise. The Ruins is also a great place to have a romantic dinner or get together with friends. There's also a miniature golf course.
  • I was so close and yet so far from this ruin when i was playing in marapara golf course in 2004. There was no buzzword floating around regarding this ruin at that time, and if there was, there was nothing in the world to stop me from skipping a hole or two to go there to see and check the place for myself. Thanks for showing on 'you tube' the beauty of the place that i could have seen first hand. I won't miss it next time around, comes my next visit to my beloved philippines.
This article was last modified 12 years ago