With all the modernization and infrastructure developments going on in Bacolod City, it is nice to revisit an old site that is rich in Negrense history and to actually make it relevant in today’s world. Property giant Megaworld Corporation is bringing another iconic addition to its 34-hectare The Upper East township. It is now constructing The Upper East House, a three-level township showroom that will be designed to pay tribute to the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company (BMMC). Now considered a historic institution, the BMMC used to occupy the township’s current location.
What is The Upper East House?
The Upper East House is an expansive township showroom that will occupy more than half a hectare lot along Upper East Avenue. It is just within the curated park beside the soon-to-open McDonald’s Upper East. The building’s vintage look takes inspiration from the elegant and sophisticated design of the BMMC’s ‘white mansion’– an old bahay na bato house that used to be inside the former sugar milling complex.
Beside The Upper East House will be the retrofitted and refurbished century-old BMMC Train that used to be the main mode of transport to deliver sugarcanes during the early days of the sugar mill.
Moreover, there will be a gallery featuring memorabilia from the historic sugar mill will also be the main highlight of The Upper East House.
“We take pride in The Upper East bearing a part of the legacy of its location as the former site of the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company, an institution that played a pivotal role in jumpstarting economic progress in Bacolod City. Today, we continue to honor this legacy as we develop this historic site as Bacolod City’s iconic central business district and once again become a catalyst of progress in this part of the region,” says Jennifer Palmares-Fong, vice president for sales and marketing, Megaworld Visayas.
About the Restoration and Design Architecture
Among the structure’s most prominent design features include the silong, which was used in the past for storage and raising farm animals. There there’s the tukod, a long piece of wood used to hold open, swing-out windows.
Guests and visitors will be welcomed to a spacious veranda and outdoor lounge with a water feature facing the eight-lane Upper East Avenue.
Meanwhile, the interior walls will be adorned with decorative wooden panels, while calados (carved wooden screens) and cartouches (decorative ceiling panels) will hang from the ceiling as accents. More than aesthetics, these two design elements will help circulate air across the rooms.
The reception walls and partitions will be adorned with solihiya (woven rattan strands), while patterned wooden planks, tiles, and stones will be used across the entire space to radiate retro charm.
As the young people enjoy the modern developments around The Upper East, the older set will surely appreciate the historical restorations that Megaworld is painstakingly trying to incorporate.
The Gallery
As a showroom, The Upper East House will feature model units of the township’s residential developments and sales offices complete with facilities.
Meanwhile, the upper ground floor will also have spaces for retail shops and cafes.
“The Bacolod Murcia Milling Company spurred economic growth in the City of Bacolod. It influenced social development, as well as the political rivalries and alliances in Negros Island, but most especially it drew into Bacolod a lot of population, not only from Negros but also from the entire Panay Island,” says local historian and journalist Modesto P. Sa-onoy, who specializes in the history of Negros Island.
The Upper East House is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023. Continuing its rise as the city’s first master-planned mixed-use community, The Upper East will soon have its own Megaworld Lifestyle Mall, commercial parks, hotel, church, and other institutional and recreational facilities. Just recently, the company announced that Landers Superstore Upper East — the first superstore in Western Visayas — will rise inside the township next year.
