The Building

Conceived in 1987, the Negros Museum opened on March 16, 1996 and served as Negros Occidental's provincial museum. Housed in Bacolod's historic neoclassical capitol building built in 1925, the museum is unique as museums go because it does not focus on precious artifacts. Instead it makes innovative use of original contemporary artwork as well as quality reproductions to tell the story of Negros. It is a child friendly museum with a livelihood component. Local artists and artisans sell copies of their commissioned works at the Museum Shop. Constructed in 1925 after American architect Daniel Burnham's neo-classical design, the Negros Museum was the former Provincial Capitol building where the past governors of Negros Occidental held office until the early 1970's. For a time it housed the Hall of Justice until it was finally abandonned and fell into a state of disrepair. In 1992 during the term of Gov. Daniel L. Lacson, it was turned over to the Negros Cultural Foundation. This building was considered by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro V. Locsin, as the most beautiful capitol building in the Philippines because of it's fine symmetry and proportion.