|
The house itself was first built in 1845 from wood, reeds and palm fronds. It has undergone reconstruction in 1849, and then again in the early 1920s. It has three sections - the main house, the tower and the family wing.
The main house has a pyramid-like structure topped off by a spired tower. You need to take five flights of stairs and a ladder to reach the top floor. The ground floor also houses the museum, where it was once unbounded by walls, but now contains artifacts from the era. The house also includes an engaging feature - a hologram portraying Aguinaldo on the eve of Proclamation of Independence. The second floor contains the sala and the historic and so-called "Independence Balcony" facing the street. Symbols of nationalism bedeck the sala, most notably the ceiling, divided into three sections, each one presenting a historical tableau carved out of wood.
The family wing consists of three bedrooms for Aguinaldo's three daughters. The interior consists of four poster canopied beds, armoires, loveseats with inlaid ivory, Vienna rocking chairs, and China cabinets. Its terrace is said to have been christened by the General as the Galeria de los Pecadores (Hall of the Sinners) on account of the "subversive plots" hatched there.
The tower is a 5 storey building containing a music room, a library and a bedroom, which the General used in his later years. Behind the mansion is the tomb of Aguinaldo, who died on February 6, 1964 at the age of 94.
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, himself donated the mansion and the lot to the Philippine Government on June 12,1963 "to perpetuate the spirit of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 that put an end to Spanish colonization of the country." And by virtue of Republic Act No. 4039 dated June 18,1964 issued by then Pres. Diosdado Macapagal, the Aguinaldo mansion was declared a national shrine.
|
