Sadie Thompson Building

The Sadie Thompson Building, also known as the Sadie Thompson Inn, is a historic property in Malaloa, one of the constituent villages of Pago Pago in American Samoa. It is principally known for its connection with the English writer W. Somerset Maugham, who stayed there for approximately six weeks during a South Sea Islands journey from December 16, 1916, to January 30, 1917. At the time, the property was a modest boarding house. Maugham later characterized the lodging as run-down and remembered suffering a persistent skin condition during his stay. The building's literary importance comes from its association with Maugham's short story Rain, published in 1921. The story centers on a conflict between Sadie Thompson, a woman fleeing her past, and Alfred Davidson, a rigid and judgmental missionary. The setting and characters were reportedly influenced by Maugham's observations in American Samoa, including an apparent encounter with a real woman named Sadie Thompson who was said to have been forced to leave Honolulu's red-light district. The exact historical relationship between the real person, the lodging house, and the fictional story remains uncertain, but the association has become central to the property's identity. Rain became one of Maugham's best-known works and gave the building significance beyond its architectural or commercial use. The story was adapted for the stage and then for cinema on three occasions: the 1928 silent film Sadie Thompson starring Gloria Swanson and Lionel Barrymore; the 1932 film Rain starring Joan Crawford and Walter Huston; and the 1953 Technicolor production Miss Sadie Thompson featuring Rita Hayworth and José Ferrer. These adaptations helped preserve the property's place in literary and film history. Before receiving its present name, the structure was known as the Meredith Building, the Haleck Building, and simply the Boarding House. In 2003, it was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as the Sadie Thompson Building. At the time of the listing, a department store occupied the first floor and a restaurant operated on the second floor. The property is currently described as being used as a hotel and restaurant, retaining a hospitality function that reflects its earlier role as a lodging house. Unlike a conventional consumer brand, the Sadie Thompson Building is best understood as a heritage property and cultural landmark. Its public identity is built on the convergence of place, literature, colonial-era South Pacific travel, and subsequent adaptations of Maugham's fiction. Information about its current ownership, management, financial performance, and operating structure is not established in the supplied reference material.

The Sadie Thompson Building is a historic structure in Malaloa, Pago Pago, American Samoa. Its documented significance derives primarily from its use as a lodging house and from its association with W. Somerset Maugham. Maugham stayed at the property between December 16, 1916, and January 30, 1917, during travel through the South Sea Islands. His later account described a poorly maintained lodging house with a corrugated-metal roof and mentioned a stubborn rash that took weeks to resolve. During or around this stay, Maugham appears to have encountered material that informed his 1921 short story Rain. The story dramatizes a confrontation between Sadie Thompson, a woman escaping her previous life, and a missionary whose strict moral outlook becomes psychologically destructive. Historical evidence does not conclusively establish every detail of the connection, but accounts of a real woman named Sadie Thompson, reportedly displaced from a Honolulu red-light district, have contributed to the building's enduring literary association. The success of Rain extended the property's significance into theater and film. Its first major screen adaptation was the 1928 silent film Sadie Thompson, followed by the 1932 film Rain and the 1953 Technicolor production Miss Sadie Thompson. Although these works are adaptations of Maugham's story rather than direct records of the building, they made the Sadie Thompson name internationally recognizable and reinforced the association between the property and the fictional character. The building has had several earlier names, including Meredith Building, Haleck Building, and Boarding House. These names reflect its changing uses and local history before the adoption of the Sadie Thompson designation. In 2003, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places under the name Sadie Thompson Building. At that time, its ground floor was used as a department store and its upper floor as a restaurant. Later descriptions identify the property as a hotel and restaurant, preserving its connection to hospitality while also presenting it as a site of literary and historical interest. The available reference material does not establish a construction date, architect, original owner, current owner, hotel operator, or detailed architectural history. It also does not provide evidence of a formal corporate brand system, chain affiliation, financial reporting, or current leadership team. Accordingly, the property is catalogued here as a heritage hospitality entity rather than as a conventional commercial brand.

• 2003

  National Register listing

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  The property was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as the Sadie Thompson Building.

• 1953

  Technicolor adaptation

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  Miss Sadie Thompson was released in Technicolor, starring Rita Hayworth and José Ferrer.

• 1932

  Second film adaptation

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  Rain was adapted for film with Joan Crawford as Sadie Thompson and Walter Huston as the missionary.

• 1928

  First film adaptation

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  The story was adapted into the silent film Sadie Thompson, starring Gloria Swanson and Lionel Barrymore.

• 1921

  Publication of Rain

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  Maugham published Rain, the short story associated with the setting and experiences linked to the lodging house.

• 1917

  Maugham leaves the lodging house

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  Maugham's documented stay ended on January 30, 1917, after approximately six weeks at the property.

• 1916

  Maugham begins his stay

  [1]Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org

  W. Somerset Maugham took up residence at the lodging house in Malaloa on December 16 during his South Sea Islands journey.

A historic hospitality property and literary landmark whose identity is anchored in its association with W. Somerset Maugham, the short story Rain, and the cultural history of American Samoa.

• Hospitality

  Hotel accommodation

  The property is currently described as a hotel, continuing the lodging function associated with its earlier use as a boarding house. The supplied reference does not specify room count, amenities, rates, operator, or booking arrangements.

• Food service

  Restaurant

  A restaurant operates at the property according to the available description. Earlier records also note restaurant use on the second floor when the building was listed on the National Register in 2003.

1. 1Sadie Thompson Innen.wikipedia.org