The stately Lizares Mansion

Iloilo City is one of the best places to observe American-era architecture, notably its ancestral houses. The stately Lizares Mansion, in Brgy. Tabuc Suba, is probably the most elegant and most opulent of the old houses and the most accessible.  Built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares, it was converted into the headquarters of the Japanese Army during World War II and, in 1962, became the school chapel of the Dominican-run Angelicum School.  This building, fusing American and Spanish architecture, has a spacious lawn.  

Nelly’s Garden

The imposing, Beaux Arts style Nelly Gardens Mansion, along E. Lopez St., was built in 1928 by Don Vicente Lopez y Villanueva and his wife Dona Elena Hofilena y Javelona.  Standing on a 4-hectare property with a beautifully manicured lawn, it was was named after their eldest daughter Nelly, who liked gardens.