Developer SM Prime Holdings No. of stores and services 300+ Phone +63 74 619 7838 | Management SM Prime Holdings Opened 21 November 2003 | |
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Opening date 000000002003-11-21-0000November 21, 2003 Architect Jose Siao Ling and Associates Address Luneta Hill Drive, 2600, Upper Session Rd, Baguio, Benguet, Philippines Hours Closed now Sunday10AM–9PMMonday10AM–9PMTuesday10AM–9PMWednesday10AM–9PMThursday10AM–9PMFriday10AM–10PMSaturday10AM–10PMSuggest an edit Similar SM City Davao, SM City Cagayan de Oro, SM City Pampanga, SM City Iloilo, SM City Lucena Profiles | ||
SM City Baguio is an enclosed shopping mall in Baguio in the Philippines. At a floor area of 107,841 m2 (1,160,790 sq ft), it is the largest shopping mall in the whole North Luzon Region. The entire complex stands on a land area of 80,000 m2 (860,000 sq ft) on Luneta Hill on top of Session Road overlooking historic Burnham Park and opposite Baguio's City Hall which is situated on a northern hill.
Contents
- Sm city baguio 2012 12 15
- Acquisition of the lot
- Launching and dormancy
- Construction and Opening
- Architecture and design
- References
The mall was formally opened on November 21, 2003. It is also the first SM Supermall which does not use an air-conditioning system upon its completion. The mall is the only SM Mall, other than the SM Mall of Asia, that make use of natural lighting and which does not have an air conditioned common area. The site of the mall was once occupied by the Pines Hotel, which burned down.
Sm city baguio 2012 12 15
Acquisition of the lot
The lot at Luneta Hill where SM City Baguio stands was formerly occupied by Resort Hotel Corporation's Pines Hotel. In 1988, SM won an auction by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) over the lot reportedly for only ₱2,000 per square meter. DBP earlier foreclosed the property in 1984 after the hotel building was burned down few years earlier. Resort Hotel defaulted in a ₱114 million loan with businessman Rodolfo Cuenca mortgaging using the Pines Hotel property, the Taal Vista and the Mindanao Hotel in Cagayan de Oro,
Cuenca of Resort Hotel and John Gokongwei of Robinsons Investment Corporation sued the DBP in 1990 in a bid to block the sale of the lot to SM.In 1992, Councilor Frederico Mandapat filed a resolution, objecting the sale of the lot, noting the objection of the two companies. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources processed the sale. Mandapat asserted the city's claim over 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) portion of the lot where a city library was originally put up by the city government.
Launching and dormancy
A project to build an SM Supermall in Baguio was launched as early as 1995 by SM magnate Henry Sy and then President Fidel V. Ramos but such plans remain dormant until April 2001. Sy placed the Baguio plan on hold and focus on making business ventures in Cebu City. However it was reported in 2001, that Sy may be pursuing to build a hotel instead of a shopping mall. Sy's original plan was to build a hotel at the lot which Sy earlier bought, formerly occupied by the Pines Hotel and a separate shopping mall in an open lot owned by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). The two facilities would have been connected by a 50 metres (160 ft) covered overpass. Sy did not push through its bid to acquire the concerned lot owned by the GSIS.
Construction and Opening
In 2001, construction of the lot commenced despite dispute regarding the status of the lot where SM City Baguio would later stand.
A shopping mall was built on the lot formerly occupied by Pines Hotel instead of a hotel as earlier reported. On November 21, 2003, SM City Baguio was opened to the public.
In 2012 the issue in SM City Baguio about the earth-balling of Pine Trees led British- Singer Songwriter Sting's to move his " Back to Bass Tour" scheduled on December 9, 2012 at the SM Mall of Asia ( MOA) Arena in Pasay City to Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon city.
Sting had asked for the transfer after receiving a letter-addressed to a certain Alica, said to be his US representative written by Minnesota based lawyer Cheryl L. Daytec-Yangot, a founding member of the National Union of People's Lawyer ( NUPL) in the Philippines and was one of the lead lawyers in two environmental cases filed against SM investment Corp. and SM Prime Holdings due to its plan to cut 182 fully grown trees to expand the SM Baguio Mall.
In the latter, Yangot stated that an online petition on Facebook is circulating, asking Sting to change his Manila concert venue, because the MOA Arena is owned by the SM group which Project Save 182 had sued because of the SM Baguio Expansion.
Architecture and design
Design International, a foreign-based firm served as design consultants, Jose Siao Ling and Associates were the architecture firm behind the mall. New Golden City serves as general contractors while DA Abcede and Associates with SM's own engineering group were also involved in the project. Its atrium is also for natural ventilation and the mall utilizes recycled water. The mall stands on a 79,763 square metres (858,560 sq ft) lot. Upon its opening, it six levels with 106,231 square metres (1,143,460 sq ft) of retail space and parking slots for 800 vehicles.