[ Baguio Mansion House ]
[ Baguio Mansion House ]
PLEASE NOTE :
Beginning AUGUST 2024, the Presidential Museum will be conducting private guided tours every Tuesday to Sunday for the exclusive benefit of students in the nearby universities.
We will be reaching out to the different Deans in both the public & private colleges for this purpose.
The museum will be open to the public from 8 SEPTEMBER 2024 onwards 🇵🇭 🇵🇭
Originally built to be the seat of power of the American Governors–General during the summer months in the country, the Baguio Mansion House eventually became the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines since the Commonwealth period. Situated at the Eastern part of Baguio City, the mansion was completed in 1908 at the insistence of William Cameron Forbes and named after his ancestral home in Massachusetts, United States. It was designed by American architect William Parsons in accordance with the “City Beautiful Movement”, an architectural reform philosophy prevalent in North America at that time.
The Mansion House stood witness to several significant events in the country’s history. In 1910, it was used for the special sessions of the Second Philippine Legislature. With the inauguration of the Commonwealth, it served as the temporary residence of the first American High Commissioner, Frank Murphy. President Jose P. Laurel evacuated here during the liberation of the Philippines.
During World War II, parts of the structure sustained significant damage from persistent bombing and strafing, rendering it nearly uninhabitable. It was restored in 1947 and expanded with more guest rooms and conference areas.
After the restoration, it became the venue for these historical events :
The second session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East.
The second session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1948.
The first meeting of the Southeast Asian Union [ The Baguio Conference of 1950 ], which was conceived and convened by President Elpidio R. Quirino.
The succeeding presidents would frequently escape the heat and the bustle of Metro Manila in exchange for Baguio’s relaxed pace and cooler climate. This made the Mansion House their summer retreat of choice, each leaving their own mark by adding various structures to the home.
On 16 January 2009, the board of the National Historical Institute, known today as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines [ NHCP ], declared the Baguio Mansion House as a National Historical Landmark through Resolution No. 1 s. 2009.
It recently underwent a major renovation to make way for priceless items and memorabilia from our former leaders, offering an intimate glimpse of the history and heritage of the Philippine presidency.
On 27 July 2024, the Baguio Mansion House opened its doors for the very first time as the Presidential Museum in the country’s summer capital.
Malacañang Heritage Mansions Management Center
+63(02) 8249 8310 local 9009 or 8281