Government House, Government building in Fagatogo, Pago Pago, American Samoa

Government House is a wood frame building with a cruciform shape, mounted on concrete piers and covered with a corrugated metal roof and clapboard siding. The two-story structure serves as both the Governor's residence and the center for administrative operations.

Built in 1903 on the orders of Admiral Uriel Sebree, Government House became the seat from which U.S. Navy governors administered American Samoa until 1951, when the Department of the Interior took over. It has housed civilian governors since and was listed on the National Register in 1972 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

The ground floor holds five public rooms, among them a large dining room, a formal sitting area and a Samoan room lined with tapa cloth and holding Samoan artifacts. A ceremonial guest house, the fala tele, stands on the grounds. Naval governors used the house until 1951, and it has since received nearly every major dignitary visiting the island.

The site sits on Observatory Point overlooking Pago Pago Bay and its surrounding waters. Visitors should be aware that this is an active government facility, so access may be limited or require advance permission.

The building is anchored with 10-foot (3-meter) metal spikes driven into the ground for protection against hurricane-force winds. This unusual anchoring method shows how construction was adapted to survive the extreme weather conditions of the South Pacific island region.