Goldenberg Mansion

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RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Goldenberg Mansion strictly implements a “no solicitation” policy.

2. The Social Secretary’s Office (hereinafter referred to as the “Management”) reserves the right to refuse entry or ask a guest of the client to leave the premises for cause.

3. Unless explicitly waived by the Management, children below 5 years of age shall not be allowed entry to the premises due to safety considerations.

4. All event plans, designs, and letters related to the use of Goldenberg Mansion must first be approved by the Management.

5. Product placements and display of brand names or company logos, no matter how subtle–are not allowed–before, during, and after the event.

6. All donations from the client or any of its benefactors shall only be made through our accredited foundations.

7. Only authorized personnel, artists, and production staff whose names have been submitted and duly approved by the Management will be given access to the stage and backstage (for events that require the use thereof) and designated holding rooms at Goldenberg Mansion.

8. The use of fire, fireworks, and all flammable or explosive materials shall be subject to the existing fire laws and applicable permits and must be cleared with and strictly controlled by the Management.

9. Animals, plants, and substances (whether gas, solid, or liquid) which may prove harmful or dangerous will not be allowed in any area of the Goldenberg Mansion.

10. The Management will not be responsible for any loss of props, devices, equipment, personal effects, and other material belongings of the client or any of its guests, personnel, artists, staff, and crew.

The Goldenberg Mansion was built by the Eugsters, a Spanish merchant family. The mansion was later acquired by Jose Moreno Lacalle, a lawyer, writer and Oidor de la Audiencia [ Hearing Officer ] who was from Granada, Spain. He rebuilt the house incorporating elements of his home region with a Moorish style of architecture. He used the finest Philippine hardwood, pre-fabricated steel from Belgium, marble from Italy and bricks and tiles from Spain.

In 1897-1898, the house was leased to the Spanish Navy and served as residence of its commanding officer, Admiral Patricio Montojo. It was also the headquarters of the exclusive Spanish Navy Club. After the defeat
of Admiral Montojo at the Battle of Manila Bay and the surrender of Manila to the Americans, it became the residence of battalion commander,
Arthur Macarthur, the father of Field Marshall Douglas Macarthur. He later moved to the Malacañang when he became Governor General in 1900.

In 1903, the house became an office of the Philippine Preliminary Exposition to the International Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.

Before being brought to the United States, the items were exhibited to the public which was the first time the mansion served as a museum. Works of Masters such as Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Fabian dela Rosa were displayed here. This included Juan Luna's masterpiece, The Blood Compact, which is now part of Malacañan Palace's collection.

In 1915, the property was sold to Ricardo Esteban Barretto whose family were the founders of the San Miguel Brewery. During the war, it became the residence of a Japanese general and after the war, it was transformed into a night club for American troops called "Ye Olde Mansion."

In 1950, the mansion was acquired by a French-Jewish businessman, Michael Goldenberg. He lived in the Philippines since 1895. At the age of seven in 1896, his father brought him to Bagumbayan to personally witness the execution of our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Since then, he became an passionate Rizalist. As a businessman, he was able to establish the Goldenberg Department Store in Escolta and acquire the local franchise for the Helene Curtis Shampoo.

Michael Goldenberg passed away in 1963 and three years after his heirs decided to sell the mansion the First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos. Mrs. Marcos turned it into a guesthouse, in similar fashion to Teus Mansion. It was fully restored and refurbished by National Artist for Architecture, Leandro V. Locsin.

Notable personalities who were accommodated here were King Hussein and Queen Alia of Jordan, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain when they were still Prince and Princess, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau [PM Justin Trudeau's father] of Canada, UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, pianist Van Cliburn and ballerinas Dame Margot Fonteyn and Alicia Markova.