Our Legacy
The Road to Mandala
From textile trailblazers to sustainable shelter savants
The Road to Mandala
From textile trailblazers to sustainable shelter savants
The Litton origin started with patriarch George Litton Sr.'s efforts to make a dent in the Philippine industry starting in the early 20's. The original trailblazer and visionary, George began on his pursuits while tending to a life made more meaningful in the arms of a local beauty named Rosa Tulod. The two settled down in a modest house in Ermita and grew a family who would then be instrumental in keeping the Litton name in high esteem.
After the war, Litton & Co., Inc. was reincorporated on September 6, 1947. Back then, it stood primarily as a general trading company specializing in the import and export of fabrics. In the early 50's, one of the Litton sons, Edward became more active in the family business and saw the advantage of manufacturing their own fabric. This resulted in the company forming Litton Knitting Mills and went into manufacturing at its plant situated on a 2.7-hectare property along Shaw Boulevard, right at the bosom of old-world Mandaluyong.
Shortly thereafter, on February 2, 1954, it formed another corporation, Litton Mills, Inc. in order to put a much bigger 7-hectare textile plant on a 28-hectare property in Pasig. The manufacturing operations flourished and the Litton group, with its textile mills in Pasig and in Mandaluyong, established itself as one of the largest textile mills in the country, employing close to 4,000 people in their manufacturing and garment making plants. The trading operations continued with more than half of the Mill's output exported to various countries.
In the 70's, the textile industry became more competitive with products from other countries expected to soon flood the market. With this anticipated difficulty, Litton & Co., Inc. sold the Litton Mills, Inc. to the Gokongwei Group. Together with the sale of Litton Mills, Inc., Litton & Co., Inc. sold the 28-hectare plant in Pasig and the movable assets of Litton Knitting Mills, retaining only the 2.7 hectare Mandaluyong plant site where it all began.
Litton & Co., Inc. slowed down as its owners attended to various assets and companies that the successful milling operations generated. Meanwhile, the factory building in Mandaluyong was leased out as a warehouse to a soft drink distribution company while other parts of the property were leased to other locators. It was at this time that Litton & Co.'s operations shifted from general trading to real estate. In 1997, the company bought an adjacent 0.5 hectare property, making the Mandaluyong property configuration more regular in shape and increasing the aggregate size to 3.2 hectares. That same year, Litton & Co., Inc. decided to transform the Mandaluyong property into a neighborhood commercial center. The renovation project started in 1998 and its anchor tenant, Puregold Price Club, became operational by November 1998. The company named the property "Liberty Center" because it was built during the Centennial of the Philippine Independence.
In 2003, the Company commissioned a master-planner, Duane Quintal & Associates (DQA) to render an interim development plan for the property that is good for the next 15 to 20 years. The development of Liberty Center now is in accordance with that interim development plan.
In the latter part of 2014, the company commissioned Aidea, Inc., one of the country's top urban planners and architects, to render a permanent development plan in accordance with the Company's medium-term mission.
This 2015, Litton & Co., Inc. recalibrates its core and formally launches Liberty Center as a new integrated mixed-use development called Mandala Park. In line with the company's intent of providing living solutions grounded on sustainability and holistic wellness, Mandala Park is designed to be a green community that fosters a way of life that gives a sense of pride for one's city, for one's home, and for one's well-being.