Silay City's stone houses, or ''bahay na bato''—most of which are owned by landed farmers and sugar barons—depict the life of the affluent in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the golden age of Silay and the peak of the sugar industry in the province.<ref name=SmileMagazine/><ref name=InquirerLifestyle>{{ cite web |url = http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/54167/the-aging-ladies-of-silay |title = The aging ladies of Silay |last = Villalon|first = August|publisher =Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. |date = 24 June 2012 |work = [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]| accessdate =13 September 2014 }}</ref> One of these houses, is the Hofileña Ancestral House, which was built in 1934.<ref name=PDI>{{ cite web |url = http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/homeandentertaining/homeandentertaining/view/20100929-294863/Negrense-home-holds-stunning-collection |title = Negrense home holds stunning collection |last = Enriquez|first = Marge|publisher =Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. |date = 29 September 2010 |work = [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]| accessdate =13 September 2014 }}</ref>
During World War II, when the family fled to the mountains, the house was occupiedused by the Japanese andcommanders waswho used by Japanese commandershad tomeetings convergehere.<ref name=SmileMagazine/> The Ithouse was later occupied by the Americans.<ref name=PDI/>
It was inIn 1962 when the house was opened its doors to the public,. It was the first ancestral house to be opened in the city that made such bold gesture.<ref name=SmileMagazine/> The next house to do so followed suit onlywas 30 years after the Hofileña Ancestral House was made available to the publiclater.<ref name=GMA>{{ cite web |url = http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/319280/newstv/biyahenidrew/48-hours-in-bacolod-a-biyahe-ni-drew-itinerary |title = 48 Hours in Bacolod: A ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ itinerary |last = Tantengco|first = Cristina|publisher =[[GMA News and Public Affairs]] |date = 26 June 2013 | accessdate =13 September 2014 }}</ref>
[[File:Hofileña Ancestral House 04.JPG|thumb|Hofileña Ancestral House]]
The Hofileña Ancestral House was installed withhas a historical marker installed by the [[National Historical Commission of the Philippines]] (NHCP) on April 6, 1993.<ref name=PhilTravelGuide>{{ cite web |url = http://www.markmaranga.com/hofilena-ancestral-house/ |title =Hofileña Ancestral House |last = Maranga|first = Mark Anthony| date = 29 September 2010 |website =Philippines Travel Guide| accessdate =6 December 2010 }}</ref>
Apart from being a tourism destination, the house has made waves internationally. In 1989, the BBC TV series "Far Eastern Cookery" shot some of its scenes in the Hofileña Ancestral House when it featured Ilonggo delicacies. The house was also used as a setting by a Canadian movie company for its documentary on Sugarlandia, which was later shown in the Toronto Film Festival in 2011.<ref name=DakbanwangSilay>{{ cite web |url = http://www.dakbanwangsilay.com/content/hofile%C3%B1-heritage-house |title = Hofileña Heritage House |last = Hofileña |first = Ramon |date = |website = Dakbanwang Silay| accessdate =13 September 2014 }}</ref>
