The History of Burnham Park, Baguio City, Philippines

How Burnham Park became the hub of Baguio City.

Burnham Park, a 32.84-hectare urban green space in the heart of Baguio City, Philippines, stands as a symbol of the city’s evolution from an indigenous Ibaloi settlement to a colonial hill station and modern tourism hub. Located at an elevation of approximately 1,500 meters in Benguet province, this park—named for American architect Daniel Hudson Burnham—embodies over a century of planning, conflict, and renewal. Its history traces the interplay of native heritage, American urban ambition, wartime disruption, and postcolonial resilience, making it a cornerstone of Baguio’s identity.

Precolonial Roots: The Ibaloi’s Kafagway

Before Burnham Park’s lawns and artificial lake existed, the site was part of Kafagway, a grassy plateau in the Cordillera highlands inhabited by the Ibaloi people. Archaeological evidence suggests Ibaloi presence in Benguet dating back to at least 1000 BCE, following Austronesian migrations from Taiwan around 4000–2000 BCE. Kafagway, meaning “grassy clearing” in Ibaloi, served as a grazing ground for cattle and a hub for gold panning along nearby streams like the Balili River.

Year 1887 Ifugao men (photographed by Australians Meyer, Bernard & Schadenberg.) These Cordillerans were the residents of the mountains of Northern Luzon.

The Ibaloi, skilled miners and traders, exchanged gold dust and forest products with lowland Ilocanos, fostering a precolonial economy documented in oral traditions and early Spanish chronicles.

1887 in Ifugao. Locals doing metallurgy under their house. Metals were used as spear heads and also as canao gongs. The cordilleran huts were usually raised from the ground by stilts. The posts had cylinders to prevent animals from climbing into the house.

The view of the Kafagway, barren land in 1900 of what was to become Baguio City.

Baguio 1900 — Baguio inhabitants in 1900. “Igorot” was a term used by non-residents to refer to people “from the mountain” (I-golot)

Spanish explorers, including Juan de Salcedo in 1572 and Diego de Ronquillo in 1620, probed the region for its rumored wealth but failed to impose lasting control. Ronquillo’s establishment of La Trinidad, just 4 kilometers north of Kafagway, in 1620 marked the closest colonial outpost, yet the area of modern Burnham Park remained untouched by permanent structures, its swampy terrain suited only to Ibaloi pastoral use.

Early 1900 ethnographic photograph of Baguio created by Dean Conant Worcester, a professor and zoologist and later Secretary of the Interior of the Philippines.

Detail of the panoramic view shows the site where Burnham Lake would eventually be built. For reference, this photo was taken from the hill where SM Baguio Mall now stands and Mirador Hill is the hill on the right edge of the photo. Also notable, the fields appear to be used for planting crops.

Mateo Carino was an Ibaloi cheiftain who owned the land that was to become Baguio. He led a successful revolt against the Spanish garrison in La Trinidad and was proclaimed the *Capitan Municipal* of Baguio by President Emilio Aguinaldo. Photo by Dean Conant Worcester

American Colonial Vision: Burnham’s Blueprint

The park’s modern history began with the American occupation of the Philippines following the 1898 Treaty of Paris. In 1900, the U.S. established Benguet province under Act No. 48, designating Kafagway—renamed Baguio—as its capital. Seeking a cool retreat from Manila’s heat, the Philippine Commission declared Baguio the Summer Capital in 1903, holding its first session there in 1904 along what became Session Road.

The Second Philippine Commission was the legislative body of the government and created laws or “acts” including the one that chartered Baguio City. They had a session in Baguio City in 1904 hence the naming of Session Road. From Left to Right: Professor Dean C. Worcester, Professor Bernard Moses, Judge William Taft and Judge Henry Ide and General Luke E. Wright,.

A member of this commission was Dean Worcester whose many photograph are shown here.

in 1904, Architect Daniel Burnham is shown here during his six week visit to Baguio, He is overlooking what would eventually become the site that would bear his name – Burnham Park.

In December 1904, Daniel H. Burnham, renowned for Chicago’s urban redesign, arrived in the Philippines at the behest of Secretary of War William Howard Taft.

Architect Daniel Burnham portrait. He is a prominent American architect that designed Washington DC mall and the city of Chicago.

Tasked with planning Baguio and Manila, Burnham spent six weeks surveying the Cordilleras, departing in January 1905. His “Report on Proposed Plan of the City of Baguio, Province of Benguet, P.I.,” submitted October 3, 1905, to Taft, envisioned a garden city for 25,000–30,000 residents, inspired by Washington, D.C.’s ordered layout. Central to this was a public park—initially dubbed “Meadow Park”—on the swampy valley south of Mount Mary Hill.

This is the Architectural plan that Daniel Burnham submitted with his report. It shows his vision of a garden city for 25.000 to 30,000 residents.

Burnham’s original map, housed in the Ryerson and Burnham Archives at the Art Institute of Chicago, outlined a 32-hectare green space with a rectangular artificial lake, radiating pathways, and lush gardens. He proposed aligning Baguio’s civic axis—City Hall to the north, an esplanade eastward—around this park, leveraging ridges for scenic boulevards.

Architect William E. Parsons implemented Daniel Burnham’s plan.

Implementation Burnham’s plan fell to William E. Parsons, the consulting architect from 1905 to 1914, who drained the swamp, planted pines, and laid out initial paths, though funding delays stretched completion into the 1920s. By then, locals had rechristened it Burnham Park, honoring its visionary.

Approximately 1910. The beginnings of the man made lake at Burnham Park. The shaping of the lake into a rectangle is evident in this photo taken from the hill on the site of the present SM Baguio Mall. The dirt road in the foreground appears to be the presursor to Session Road.

Baguio Burnham Park 1912 — 1912 Baguio Burnham Park.
“The Burnham Lake finishing it’s construction as a man-made lagoon from the Minac Creek (background). The early business district of Baguio (before Session Road became the main) at Abanao in the foreground. At the left corner is the pioneer Baguio Commercial Company built by ex-governor Hubert Phelps Whitmarsh in 1906 where you can buy almost everything and next to it (electric post pointing V-shaped roof) is the Mountain Hotel owned by Walter Hansen. This area will be known as Baguio’s Chinatown.” (quoted from Dr. Alex Fangonil)

Burnham Park in the 1920’s. This is an angle from south west with the Burnham Auditorium (no longer existing) featured in the right. The Baguio Cathedral is also seen on Mount Mary hill.

burnham 1929 — 1929 Burnham Park from the southeast end, The City hall is the building almost covered by the pine tree on the right. The circle on the center of the picture would eventually become the skating rink.

Early Development and Golden Age (1920s–1930s)

By the 1920s, Burnham Park emerged as Baguio’s social and recreational core. The artificial lake, fed by natural springs and rainfall, became a boating attraction, surrounded by rose gardens and dahlias thriving in Baguio’s temperate climate (averaging 18–20°C). Pathways, lined with Benguet pines, hosted American expatriates, Filipino elites, and Ibaloi converts drawn into the growing city—chartered in 1909 via Act No. 1963.

Photo shows aerial view of Burnham Park taken January 23, 1934. Following Daniel Burnham’s design, we see the realization of his vision. The northwest end shows the City hall. At this time, structures began to line Session Road and Harrison Road. The City Market block is also filled. The Baguio Cathedral can also be see on the right middle edge of the photograph.

Another aerial shot showing The Baguio Cathedral on the right and the lake on the left.

The park was bustling with people in the 1930’s. The circle is the skating rink. The lake is now lined with pine trees.

A pivotal addition came in 1938 with the Melvin Jones Grandstand, named for the Lions Club founder.

The Melvin Jones Grandstand. This photo was taken in the 60’s but it shows the original design of the grandstand before it was renovated in the 70’s to look like an igorot hut.

Groundbreaking records from the Baguio Midland Courier note its construction as a venue for civic events, from parades to cultural performances. By the late 1930s, the park mirrored Burnham’s intent—a communal space reflecting Baguio’s role as a colonial retreat and emerging Filipino city, with a population nearing 24,000 by the 1940 census.

World War II: Destruction and Resilience

The park’s golden era halted with Japan’s invasion in December 1941. On December 8, Japanese bombs struck Baguio, damaging Camp John Hay and scarring Burnham Park’s landscape—trees felled, the lake silted, and pathways cratered. During the 1942–1944 occupation, it served as a makeshift camp for Japanese troops, disrupting its civilian use. The 1945 liberation, culminating in the “Battle of the Zigzag” along Kennon Road, saw further destruction as American and Filipino forces reclaimed the city in April. Post-war photographs show a pockmarked park, its greenery reduced to stumps.

Photo from July 1946 shows the damage of bombing during World War 2. Burnham Lake could be seen on the left while destroyed building on Session Road and Harrison Road are shown on the foreground.

Photo shows the southeast side of Burnham park viewed from The Baguio Cathedral. This shows rubble from bombed bulidings on Session Road and Harrison Road.

Post War Reconstruction and Expansion

Reconstruction began swiftly after independence in 1946. The Philippine government, with local support, replanted trees, dredged the lake, and restored facilities. After Philippine independence in 1946, with efforts to restore and expand Burnham Park aligning with Baguio’s resurgence as a tourism and administrative center. The Athletic Bowl emerged during this phase, driven by a growing population (24,000 in 1940 swelled to over 50,000 by 1950) and demand for modern amenities.

The Athletic Bowl was built and operational between 1949-1950, as documented in local historical accounts and corroborated by Baguio’s mid-20th-century urban planning records. The exact groundbreaking date is less clear due to limited surviving primary sources from the period, but its opening aligns with postwar infrastructure projects under the administration of President Elpidio Quirino (1948–1953). The Athletic Bowl occupies the southeastern quadrant of Burnham Park, near Jose Abad Santos Drive, integrating into the park’s layout. Its placement leveraged the park’s flat terrain, a rarity in Baguio’s hilly topography.

By mid 1950s, Burnham Park rebounded as a family haven, with added features like bicycle rentals and sail boats, the precursor to the current swan-shaped paddleboats—icons of its postwar revival. The grandstand resumed hosting events, including the first Independence Day celebrations, symbolizing resilience amid Baguio’s broader recovery.

Burnham Lake in June 1962. View shows for-rent sailboats and red roofed Pines Hotel up in the Hill. The Pines Hotel site is now the SM Baguio Mall. Photo courtesy of Bill Fabianic.

July 1990. After the big Earthquake of July 16, 1990, Burnham Park became a tent city. Residents of Baguio City who lost their houses or were worried that the frequent aftershocks camped in the park grounds.

panagbenga 2025 Unity dance — Melvin Jones Football Field during Panagbenga 2025. The Unity Dance performed by the Cultural Dance competitors. Panagbenga Baguio Spring Festival was the city response to the 1990 earthquake. Today it is celebrated in Burnham Park drawing tourists on an annual basis.

Melvin Jones Grandstand Baguio in 2025. Compare to the 1960’s design in the picture above.

Modern Era: Evolution and Challenges

Today, Burnham Park spans 32.84 hectares, divided into 12 distinct areas: the Lake, Rose Garden, Skating Rink, Children’s Playground, Orchidarium, Igorot Garden, Japanese Peace Pagoda, Pine Trees of the World, Sunshine Park, Athletic Bowl, Picnic Grove, and Melvin Jones Grandstand. Managed by the Baguio City government, it draws over a million visitors annually, bolstered by tourism data from the Department of Tourism-Cordillera (2023).

Watch the video above of a walking tour of Burnham Park in October 2022. The tour starts at the gate in front of The Rizal Monument with the bust of Daniel Burnham and goes around the park.

Yet, it diverges from Burnham’s full vision. The planned grand esplanade eastward shrank as urban sprawl—Baguio’s population hit 366,000 by 2020—encroached on green borders. Overcrowding, vendors, and traffic congestion challenge its tranquility, prompting periodic cleanups and redesigns, like the 2000s lake dredging. Despite this, it remains a vital public space, hosting festivals (e.g., Panagbenga) and daily recreation—skating, boating, and picnics.

Drone shot of Baguio Burnham Lake at night as it currently exists in 2024. SM Baguio Mall dominates the background.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Burnham Park encapsulates Baguio’s layered history. Its Ibaloi roots as Kafagway tie it to precolonial Cordillera life, while Burnham’s 1905 plan reflects American colonial ambition—only 60% implemented due to funding and terrain constraints, per urban historian Ethel Junto (2015). Wartime scars and postwar rebirth mirror the city’s grit, and its modern bustle showcases Filipino adaptation. The park’s lake, dug from a swamp, and its grandstand, built in 1938, are enduring symbols of this evolution.

Google map screen shot in 2025 showing current Burnham Park in Baguio City, Philippines. Compare to Burnham’s Architectural drawing plan above.

Conclusion

From an Ibaloi grazing ground to a war-torn relic to a vibrant urban park, Burnham Park’s history reflects Baguio City’s transformation over centuries. Conceived by Daniel Burnham in 1905, shaped by Parsons, and reborn through local hands, it stands at the intersection of indigenous heritage, colonial design, and modern life. As Baguio navigates growth, this 32-hectare heart endures—a green legacy at the roof of the Philippines.