Museums are good places to visit to understand the culture and the story of the past, but it is understandable if some find it boring, partly because they are presented in such a straightforward, scholastic presentation that may not appeal to them. Not to mention the items exhibited there represent an era so bygone that today’s visitors could no longer relate to.
Then there’s Bahay Modernismo, a one-of-a-kind museum that showcases a culture not far removed from ours, evoking a unique sense of nostalgia that people can relate to.
Bahay Modernismo is actually a fairly new museum, the youngest of the four museums located within the Quezon City Circle. But it is also one that has generated the most interest, not only because of it being fairly new but also for its theme which, as mentioned earlier, resonates among many of us.
Beginnings in Times Street
The story of how Bahay Modernismo came to actually began around a decade prior, in a different but historic part of Quezon City. Specifically in 25 Times Street, Barangay West Triangle where the family of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., his wife, the would-be President Corazon, and their children (including would-be President Benigno III and TV host/actress Kristina Bernadette) lived. The house which was built around the 1960s was up for an extensive renovation so much of the old house would be demolished to give way for the new house where then President Benigno III would live once he stepped out of office the following year.
It is said that the Aquino son initiated the renovation as a way of easing himself of the memories of the house where the wake of his dad was held in 1983 and his mom in 2009. But realizing the importance of the old house from a historical and cultural context, the Quezon City government at that time sought to save whatever they can of the old house, managing to salvage about 70% of the structure and reconstruct it in the Quezon Memorial Circle based on existing architectural plans.
From ‘Demokrasyang Pilipino’ to ‘Modernismo’
The original plan was to establish a democracy museum, the Museo ng Demokrasyang Pilipino within its premises in memory of the freedom and democracy movements in the country throughout history, including the People Power Revolution in 1986 triggered by the assassination of Sen. Aquino Jr. in 1983 and propelled his widow to the presidency, thus the choice of a location. Sources say the museum did open in 2019 though apart from the video, there is not much information on this museum if it actually operated at all during its seemingly brief life.
That might be because the following year, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, which shut down various establishments and force most people in their homes amidst the fear of catching the dreaded virus. Even as the world gradually opened up in the succeeding years, the Museo ng Demokrasyang Pilipino never had much of a life.
What happened instead was a reimagining of the place, though the circumstances behind it have not been revealed. But the Quezon City government eventually decided to transform the old museum into something different and tapped the services of Architect Gerard Lico and his ARC LICO team (the same team behind the Museo ni Dr. Pio Valenzuela and the renovated Arkong Bato in Valenzuela) to help conceive the transformation.
The result is the Bahay Modernismo which opened to the public in May this year, a new landmark in the soul of Quezon City that has made people rediscover not only what the Quezon Memorial Circle now has to offer but also the past that they themselves have experienced.
The “modernist” experience
Bahay Modernismo is a bungalow house with its interior and exterior design harks back to the 1950s and 1960s, when residential lots were wide enough to build bungalows like this one and two-storey houses and condominiums were not a thing yet as far as residences go. As such, almost every space in the house is designed to showcase what life was at the formative years of the country as it was recovering from the destruction caused by World War II.
As such, Bahay Modernismo exemplified the mood of the period, a time of optimism and excitement for a progressive future that the era promises. Not to mention the embrace of modern construction methods that have become more accessible to middle-class families, without hesitation.
Throughout the house, one can see an assortment of items from the 1940s until the 1980s, with each item evoking nostalgia of what life was back then, especially for those who have either lived it or close to have lived it. Each quarter of the house evokes the lifestyle of the typical Filipino family member of the period and the cultural atmosphere they were a part of back then, from the mother who admired the beauty and lifestyle of the likes of Audrey Hepburn or Gloria Romero to the teenage children who grew up being fans of The Beatles or Nora Aunor.
The curators have done a good job of making the house as authentically representative of the postwar period as possible, allowing visitors to reminisce about the times gone by with each appliance, furniture, or other furnishings, making them feel at home, figuratively and literally, in a layout that is somewhat familiar in one way or another.
A unique perspective on Quezon City’s history
Beyond showcasing memorabilia, Bahay Modernismo is about telling the story of Quezon City through the eyes of the people who have lived there through the years and how it developed. The museum showcases the evolution of the city we know today from the residential developments in Santa Mesa Heights and Manila Heights that arose before the city was established to the Barrio Obrero and the “Project” villages that served as the backbone of the city’s establishment to the different institutions and commercial establishments that arose before and during its status as the country’s capital city.
As such, Bahay Modernismo stands out for making history more accessible and relatable to the people. By showcasing the familiar, the museum has been able to tell the story of a city’s, and a nation’s, development during those formative postwar years and how the culture of that era has shaped the lives not only of the people belonging to that generation but beyond as well as we still feel experience the legacies of that era.
If anything, Bahay Modernismo also serves as the de facto museum of Quezon City, especially after the closure of QCX during the pandemic, a tragic loss as it was one of the Urban Roamer’s favorite museums. But golly, Bahay Modernismo has been able to fill that void for this Roamer and it is a must-visit place in the metropolis not only to revel in nostalgia but also in understanding the past in an engaging experience.
Admission to Bahay Modernismo is free though for some reason, they do not allow cameras inside but not phones (which is a weird and pointless rule, but whatever) You can learn more about the museum here
Acknowledgements as well to ARC LICO, GMA News, and Philippine Daily Inquirer
