U.S. Customhouse
About this property
The United States Customhouse is a historic custom house located at Houston in Harris County, Texas. The U.S. Custom House occupies an entire block in the central business district of Houston, Texas. It was built as a post office and courthouse between 1907 and 1911 and later converted to use as the custom house. During this period, urban post offices often shared a building with courts and other federal offices. Houston competed unsuccessfully with Galveston during the latter portion of the 19th century, until the 1900 hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, devastated Galveston. The risk to businesses, particularly shipping, caused many companies to move their facilities to the safer, sheltered port of Houston. By 1910, seventeen railroads moved passengers and freight to and from Houston. As Houston grew, the demand for postal facilities and other federal services increased and a new building to house them was needed. The Supervising Architect of the Treasury James Knox Taylor designed the building in the Second Renaissance Revival style. Federal buildings constructed during this era used classical revival styles almost exclusively. Taylor's philosophy was that public buildings should be pleasant to look at, convey dignity appropriate to the federal government, and that they should be designed to permit a utilitarian interior arrangement. Construction began in 1907, and on December 1, 1911, thousands of Houstonians came to tour the building during its grand opening celebration. The building was originally constructed to house the federal district court, a post office, and other federal offices. The increasing number of federal offices in Houston necessitated the 1931 addition. The courthouse operated in the building until 1962, the same year that the post office vacated a portion of the space originally allocated to it. Renovation of those spaces prepared them for other uses. The building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1974. When this building was constructed, it was the only monumental Second Renaissance Revival building in Houston and one of the larger downtown buildings. It replaced a three-story polychromatic Moorish post office built in 1889, which had been unlike any other building in Houston at the time. Today, especially to the south, this building is surrounded by modern skyscrapers. The U.S. Custom House in Houston occupies the city block bounded by San Jacinto, Carolina, Capital, and Rusk streets, with the facade facing northwest onto San Jacinto Street. It is a well-executed example of the Second Renaissance Revival architectural style, as evident in the arched first-story windows, rusticated stonework with deep joints, emphasis on the horizontal plane, and the stately appearance of the building. The classical origins of the style are manifested in the symmetry of the building and the shapes and motifs used to embellish both the exterior and interior. The main portion of the building has three stories with a full basement and the wings have four stories. The building has a copper Mansard roof, and interior light wells flank the area that began as the two-story courtroom.
Location
Categories
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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Questions about this property
When was U.S. Customhouse listed on the National Register?
U.S. Customhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 27, 1974.
What type of historic resource is U.S. Customhouse?
U.S. Customhouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for U.S. Customhouse?
The period of significance for U.S. Customhouse is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near U.S. Customhouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near U.S. Customhouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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