Baker Memorial Hall

The Charles Fuller Baker Memorial Hall, also known as Baker Memorial Hall or simply Baker Hall, is one of the oldest buildings on the campus of University of the Philippines Los Baños and the oldest building of the College of Arts and Sciences. Built from 1927 to 1938, it is named after Charles Fuller Baker, the second and longest-serving dean, University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture.

It was part of the Los Baños Internment Camp for American and allied POWs and civilians during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

It formerly served as the university gymnasium and home of the Department of Human Kinetics before the department was transferred to the Edwin Bingham Copeland Gymnasium.

History

The building was originally built under the term of Dean Bienvenido M. Gonzalez from 1927 to 1938.

During World War II, Japanese soldiers occupied Los Baños including the UPLB Campus. Baker Hall was used as an internment camp of around 2,500 American and allied POWs and civilians from 1943 to 1945. To rescue the prisoners, a raid on the Los Banos camp was conducted by joint forces of American and Filipino forces including ROTC Hunters, Hukbalahap 48th Chinese Squadron, President Quezon's own guerrilla unit, Marking's group and other irregular troops on February 23, 1945. Most buildings inside the campus were destroyed during the liberation but Baker Hall survived and remained intact.