- The Mansion, Baguio
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The Mansion 
Alternative names Mansion House General information Town or city Leonard Wood Road, Baguio 2600 Country Philippines Coordinates 16°24′44″N 120°37′17″E / 16.412222°N 120.621389°E Inaugurated 1908 Design and construction Architect William E. Parsons The Mansion (also known as the The Mansion House) is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. It is located in Baguio, Philippines.
History and Information
The Mansion was built in 1908 as the official summer residence at the instance of William Cameron Forbes to serve as the residence of U.S. Governors-General. It was badly damaged during the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1947. Since then, it has served as the holiday home and working office for each President of the Philippines during his or her visits to Baguio. The name is derived from the summer cottage in New England of Governor-General William Cameron Forbes during whose administration the original Mansion House was built. William Parsons, with aide of architect Daniel Burnham, designed the mountain retreat in accordance with the North American City Beautiful architectural reform movement.
In 1910, the 2nd Philippine Legislature met at The Mansion for three weeks.
The Mansion was restored after the war and was used as the venue of important events, such as the second session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in 1947, the second session of the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1948, and the first meeting of the Southeast Asian Union, more commonly known as the Baguio Conference of 1950, which was conceived and convened by President Elpidio Quirino.
More recently, the The Mansion has been the site of a number of international conferences. The Mansion consists of an elegantly-designed main building and guest house. The elaborate main gate, made of ornate ironwork, is said[by whom?] to be a replica of one of the main gates at Buckingham Palace, London.
Many tourists go home with a photo of themselves standing in front of this gate. Tourists can visit the The Mansion's museum containing presidential memorabilia.
Over the road from the The Mansion is Wright Park, a place where children are often seen riding the ponies that are available for hire there. Dotted all around the nearby hills are the holiday villas of the wealthy.
See also
External links
Categories:- Official residences in the Philippines
- 1908 architecture
- Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines
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