Painting of the colonial era building started recently. The beloved house-museum, closed due to pandemic restrictions since 2020, takes on what might look to casual observers as new colors, but which actually reflect the aesthetic of houses during its time.
“This will seem new to us who have known Casa Gorordo for its dark brown exterior, and interior, too, but this will actually bring us back to the days when there were people actually living here,” says Florencio Moreño II, Officer-in-Charge of the Culture and Heritage Unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI).
Casa Gorordo is a two-storey “balay nga tisa” on E. Aboitiz St., in the old Parian district. Constructed in the 1850’s, it encapsulates the lifestyle of the Parianon families and Cebuanos in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also known as the former residence of Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino bishop of Cebu.
Alejandro Reynes y Rosales was the original owner of the property. He later sold it to Spanish merchant Isidro Gorordo. Four generations of Gorordos lived in the house. It was acquired by the RAFI from the family in the late 1970’s, delicately restored, and opened to the public as a museum in 1983 to promote enjoyment and awareness of Cebuano culture.
Former inhabitants of the stone- and- wood building remember it encased in a light, subdued color which remained unchanged throughout the duration of the family’s stay there.