The land for the park was acquired by the city of Makati after
World War II as a donation from
Ayala y Compañía. It was the site of a large
bahay na bato that served as an administrative building for the then vast
Jesuit hacienda of San Pedro de Macati. Ownership of the estate was transferred several times after the Jesuits were
expelled from the Philippines in the late 18th century. It passed on to the
Marquess of Villamediana, Don José Col, Don Manuel Gómez, and then to Don Simeón Bernardino Vélez. It was in 1851 when Don José Bonifacio Roxas purchased it for 50,000
Spanish dollars and made it the commercial base of Casa Roxas, the precursor of Ayala y Compañía (now
Ayala Corporation). The
casa hacienda was located in the then village of Buenavista that sat on an elevated plateau overlooking the Pasig River. It was accessible from the river via stone steps or
hagdang bato located just beside the plantation house. The
Zobel de Ayala family managed their estate here from their headquarters at the
casa hacienda until post-independence when the house was demolished and the site turned into an open space. ==Gallery==