Historic Survey and Condition Assessment of the Malesso Japanese Rice Mill, Municipality of Merizo, Guam

Vernon, Nicole

"At the request of the Guam Historic Resources Division (GHRD), Garcia and Associates conducted an historic survey at the Malesso Japanese Rice Mill located within the Municipality of Merizo, Guam. The building is located on an approximately 0.4 hectares (ha) (4,000 m2 or .988 acres) parcel of land in a residential area. The purpose of the survey was to gather data on the Japanese Rice Mill for possible inclusion in the Guam and National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). To document the historic building, an existing condition survey was performed on 14 and 15 September 2010, which recorded the physical spaces and elements of the Japanese Rice Mill. This information was used to evaluate the historic and physical integrity of the building. Information gathered during the survey was documented with field notes and measured drawings. In addition, documentation included extensive digital photography of the overall building and of all architectural details. Two shovel test units were excavated to examine the subsurface for buried cultural deposits. Today the mill is in ruins with only the four outer walls, one inner wall, and a concrete slab running the length of the north wall of the structure remaining. Large trees and vegetation is growing in the interior of the building where modern household refuse and rushed metal has accumulated from illicit dumping. It is apparent that this illicit dumping is ongoing. Graffiti has also been painted onto various portions of the exterior of the mill. The Malesso Japanese Rice Mill is a significant historic property and is NRHP-eligible under Criteria A and C. During the Japanese Occupation, Chamorro people were forced to work in various aspects of the production of rice, including the movement of the rice from the field to the Malesso Japanese Rice Mill and the construction of the mill itself. Additionally, the design and construction of the Malesso Japanese Rice Mill is unique on Guam." Project funding was provided in by a Historic Preservation grant to the Guam Historic Resources Division, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior (grant number 66-09-21859).

Historic Survey and Condition Assessment of the Malesso Japanese Rice Mill, Municipality of Merizo, Guam

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