National Register of Historic Places

US Customs House and Post Office

Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida
Listed
July 21, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
97000659

About this property

The U.S. Customs House and Post Office, also known as the Escambia County Courthouse, is a historic site in Pensacola, Florida. Built in 1887, it is located at 223 Palafox Place. On July 22, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. From 1885 to 1937, the Escambia County Courthouse was a building on the northeast corner of Palafox and Chase streets. It was built for $200,000. The U.S. Customs House and Post Office housed the customs house on the second floor, the post office on the first floor, the district attorney’s office, and the courts on the third and fourth floors. It also housed the internal revenue collector's office and the office of the surgeon in charge of the Pensacola marina hospital. In 1937 Escambia County, which needed more space, swapped its location for that of the U.S. Customs House and Post Office because the Federal Government, which by then had no more use for a customs house, needed a building site for a new U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. The Federal Government demolished the old county courthouse in 1938 and built its new building there. Escambia County moved into the old customs house and post office in 1940, housing the county and clerks offices. Plans were announced in 2008 to renovate the upper floors for the Arts Council of Northwest Florida and West Florida Historic Preservation. The U.S. Customs House and Post Office was designed by architect M. E. Bell. The late Victorian Renaissance Revival style four-story building has a limestone exterior, over brick walls. Its main entrance has a colonnaded portico with a flat roof. A four-story annex addition was added in 1953. Dunn, Hampton. Florida's Historic Courthouses. Hallmark Pub, 1998. ISBN 0-9653759-5-1

Location

223 Palafox Pl.
Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida
30.40951, -87.21506

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Nearby Battles

Capture of Pensacola Navy Yard by Confederates
1861Civil War
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was US Customs House and Post Office listed on the National Register?

US Customs House and Post Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1997.

What type of historic resource is US Customs House and Post Office?

US Customs House and Post Office is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for US Customs House and Post Office?

The period of significance for US Customs House and Post Office is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near US Customs House and Post Office?

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