“Today is the end of the historical round house and the beginning of the new and modern leadership memorial courtyard,” said Ramon B. Camacho, Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council chairman.
Camacho, with the previous municipal council, initiated the courtyard project. Yesterday, he visited the project site to look at the round house for the last time.
Senior citizen Manny T. Sablan said “the structure is very significant.”
Political campaign events used to be held at the round house, he said.
Leadership memorial courtyard project consultant William S. Torrres said they received approval from the Division of Historic Preservation Office on Wednesday to proceed with the demolition.
In his letter, division acting director Mertie T. Kani said the structure was possibly built in the 1960’s.
“[It] is a good representative sample of the architectural design constructed during this period in the Northern Marianas,” he added.
Torres said the leadership memorial courtyard committee decided to tear down the structure because of its unsound physical condition.
Camacho said members of the Territorial and Popular parties — now known as Republican and Democratic parties — used to converge at the round house during the campaign season.
While the party labels and the seat of local government have changed over the years, the kios-ku — the Japanese name for roundhouse — remains politically significant, he added.
Camacho said the new kios-ku will continue to serve its historic political function on Saipan.
“The kios-ku project heralds the instrumental role played by local indigenous leaders in the socio-economic and political matrix of the commonwealth as an evolving jurisdiction,” he added.
