THE U.S. CUSTOM HOUSE
One Bowling Green
New York, New York

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The U.S. Custom House sits on historic Bowling Green, the area around which New York was founded.  Dutch settlers built a fort on the actual site to defend themselves against first, Native Americans and then the British.  In 1732, three enterprising New Yorkers leased the open area on the north side of the fort for one peppercorn per annum and made a recreational bowling green on the site.  After the American Revolution in 1790, the fort was replaced by an elegant brick building, the Government House.  Although intended as a home for the President of the United States, it was never used, and when the capital moved to Philadelphia, the building became the residence of New York Governors Clinton and Jay.  Between 1799 and 1815, the building served as the Custom House.

In 1813, New York City acquired the building and, in 1815, sold it to a developer who divided the site, tore down the Government House, and replaced it with seven elegant row houses that were occupied by some of the City's upper middle class.  By mid-century, when elegant residential neighborhoods had moved uptown, these buildings were converted into offices.  Lower Broadway became known as "Steamship Row" due to the high concentration of shipping companies in the downtown area.

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The property was acquired by the federal government, and in 1899, the United States Department of the Treasury sponsored a competition for the design of a United States Custom House in New York that would be erected on that site.  Cass Gilbert won the competition.  As an architect from St. Paul, Minnesota, he saw the move to New York as a great opportunity.  Later, he achieved fame by designing the Woolworth Building, which was the world's tallest building when it opened in 1913.

The U.S. Custom House stood vacant for almost the entire decade of the seventies.  In 1979 Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan saved the building from demolition and sponsored a bill which appropriated $29.4 million for its restoration.  The U.S. General Services Administration held a competition for the building's restoration and re-use.  After undergoing major renovation, restoration and modernization of its mechanics, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York moved into the building on September 14, 1987  from the United States Courthouse at Foley Square.  On October 30, 1994, the George Gustav Heye Center, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution moved into the first and second floors.

The original beauty of the building has been preserved and several aspects of the structure allude to the primary activity that took place within the building when it served as a Custom House, which was the collection of revenue and registration of international seas commerce in one of the world's greatest ports.

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Sculptures of four of the continents, America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, by Daniel Chester French, flank the Bowling Green entrance and above the sixth story, there are sculptures representing the great commercial and seafaring powers of world history.

The interior of the building is dominated by the huge rotunda, which is still one of the largest public spaces in New York.  This space provided a ceremonial area in which  the daily bureaucratic activities of the Custom's Service took place.  It now serves as a public space and  is a gateway to the George Gustav Heye Center,  National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution.

In 1936,  Reginald Marsh was commissioned to execute a series of murals in the  rotunda as part of the Treasury Relief Art Project, which gave work to artists during the depression.  These murals have been restored to their original splendor.  The larger ones display eight views of the activity at the port of New York.  Eight smaller panels, depicting figures of famous explorers, are painted in grisaille to simulate statuary.  The panels are considered to be one of the highlights of Marsh's career, and his work there ranks among the most significant mural cycles in New York.

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The Custom House designed by Cass Gilbert was a Beaux-Arts palace for commerce.  With the collaboration of artisans and artists, he left a considerable legacy of public art.  It epitomizes the period in which it was designed.  The turn of the last century was an era when institutions, government agencies, and corporations were expanding at a tremendous rate, when world trade increased, and great American fortunes were being made.  It continues to serve as a reminder of the way architecture can respond in an inspired way to the urban environment.

Used with permission from The Palace of Commerce: The U.S. Custom House, an exhibition developed by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, based on text by Deborah Nevins.