Goldenberg Mansion

The Goldenberg mansion was built by a Spanish merchant family, the Eugsters. 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 of 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 who is 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 art of the Masters such as Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Fabian dela Rosa were displayed including one of the masterpieces of Luna, 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 became a restaurant-nightclub 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, Jose 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, like the Teus, also turned it into a guesthouse. It was 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 (father of PM Justin Trudeau), UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, pianist Van Cliburn and ballerinas Dame Margot Fonteyn and Alicia Markova.