Constructed by the Dominican friars, Casa Hacienda was essentially a silo for their crops as well as for its people’s taxes. This two-storey, two-century-old, perfectly symmetrical bahay na bato has since become a versatile structure that has sheltered different institutions for different purposes during different eras. The main entrance is followed by three more entrances. The lower floor is made of huge, ash grey-colored adobe bricks with wide, grilled windows at each of its polar sides. The doors and staircase are constructed with expensive narra hardwoods. The upper floor is strategically swamped with wide wooden windows with panels made of capiz.
During the American occupation, the building served as a school until the completion of the school building’s construction in Barangay Santo Domingo, immediately after which it served as the new municipal hall. The Municipal Hall of Biñan completed what was missing in a typical plaza complex mandated by the conquistador’s Leyes de las Indias (the Laws of the Indies)—which, in the case of Biñan, already had the San Isidro Labrador Catholic Church, the Biñan Public Market, and the Alberto Mansion. By this time, a portico (porch) had been added to the building’s main entrance, the ceiling of which was bedecked with seashells, with its pediment bearing, at that time, the words “MVNICIPALITY OF BIÑAN”and Laguna’s symbol right above it.
In 2010, with the Biñan City Hall having been built in Barangay Zapote, the old municipal building was restored and converted into a library and museum. In 2016, the Biñan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office joined, and the three institutions were collectively called the Sentrong Pangkultura ng Biñan, or the Cultural Center of Biñan. Its pediment that once bore the mark of history that it was a municipal hall, now bears a reminder that it is a place to celebrate Biñan’s rich culture – Sentrong Pangkultura ng Biñan. Not long after, it became the office as well of the artists of the Biñan City Centre for Performing Arts Inc. Additions to the structure include: a monument of Mayor Rogelio “Roging” Limaco on the front left of the building; on the front right, a homage to Don Francisco Engracio Mercado on his bicentennial in 2018; and at the frontmost, a map of Biñan and an inscription of “The City of Life”—the new brand of the City of Biñan.
BIÑAN CITY MUSEUM HOURS:
Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm
BIÑAN CITY STUDIES CENTER LIBRARY HOURS:
(Internet Services and Reading Lounge Only)
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
