The American Samoa Historic Preservation Office has nominated the Governor Rex Lee Auditorium to the federal government to be placed upon the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Office says its believes the historic significance of the building and the events that have transpired there deserve national recognition.
The facility is named after Governor Lee, who was appointed at the time by the U.S. Interior Department, before the territory was given the right to elect its own governor.
First constructed in 1962, the auditorium, referred locally as "Fale Laumei", or Turtle Building, because of its shape resembling a turtle, underwent a $3.2 million dollar renovation about three years ago.
The building joins the 22 other buildings and sites in the Territory already listed in the National Register of Historic Places, including the Naval Station Tutuila Historic District.
