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{{Short description|Building in Manhattan, New York}}
{{Redirect|United States Custom House (Manhattan)|a general history of the former New York Custom House|United States Custom House (New York City)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (51520726607).jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = The northern (left) and western (right) facades of the Custom House in 2021
| location = 1 [[Bowling Green (New York City)|Bowling Green]]<br />[[Manhattan]], New York
| built = 1901–1907
| coordinates = {{coord|40|42|15|N|74|00|49|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| district_map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=300|frame-height=300|frame-coordinates={{coord|40|42|15|N|74|00|49|W}}|zoom=14|type=shape|stroke-color=#f44|id=Q2068997|marker=|title=U.S. Custom House}}
| architect = [[Cass Gilbert]]
| architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]]
| designated_nrhp_type = December 8, 1976<ref name="nhlsum" />
| added = January 31, 1972
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| refnum = 72000889<ref name="nhlsum" />
| mpsub =
| governing_body =
| nrhp_type2               = indcp
| partof                   = [[Wall Street Historic District (Manhattan)|Wall Street Historic District]]
| partof_refnum            = 07000063<ref name="Howe">{{cite web |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320043 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Wall Street Historic District |last1=Howe |first1=Kathy |last2=Robins |first2=Anthony |date=August 3, 2006 |publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]] |access-date=July 7, 2024 |via=[[National Archives (United States)|National Archives]] |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708183452/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320043 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| designated_nrhp_type2    = February 20, 2007
| nocat                    = yes
| designated_other1        = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_date   = June 23, 1980<ref name="Cultural Resource Information System"/>
| designated_other1_number = 06101.000049
| designated_other1_abbr  = NYSRHP
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other2_name = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date = October 14, 1965 (exterior)<ref name="NYCL-0020" /><br />January 9, 1979 (interior)<ref name="NYCL p. 1" />
| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL
| designated_other2_link = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_number = 0020, 1022
| designated_other2_color = #FFE978
}}

The '''Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House''' (originally the '''New York Custom House''') is a government building, museum, and former [[custom house]] at 1 [[Bowling Green (New York City)|Bowling Green]], near the southern end of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]], New York, United States. Designed by [[Cass Gilbert]] in the [[Beaux-Arts style]], it was erected from 1902 to 1907 by the [[government of the United States]] as a headquarters for the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|Port of New York]]'s [[Customs duty|duty]] collection operations. The building contains the [[George Gustav Heye Center]] museum, the [[United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York]], and the New York regional offices of the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]. The [[facade]] and part of the interior are [[New York City designated landmark]]s, and the building is listed on both the [[New York State Register of Historic Places]] and the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) as a [[National Historic Landmark]]. It is also a contributing property to the [[Wall Street Historic District (Manhattan)|Wall Street Historic District]], listed on the NRHP.

The Custom House is a seven-story steel-framed structure with a stone facade and elaborate interiors. The exterior is decorated with nautical motifs and sculptures by twelve artists. The second through fourth stories contain [[colonnade]]s with [[Corinthian column]]s. The main entrance consists of a grand staircase flanked by ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'', a set of four statues by [[Daniel Chester French]]. The second-story entrance vestibule leads to a transverse lobby, a [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]], and offices. The rotunda includes a [[skylight]] and ceiling murals by [[Reginald Marsh (artist)|Reginald Marsh]]. The George Gustav Heye Center, a branch of the [[National Museum of the American Indian]], operates on the ground and second stories, while the upper stories contain U.S. government offices.

The building was proposed in 1889 as a replacement for the previous [[United States Custom House (New York City)|New York Custom House]] at [[55&nbsp;Wall Street]]. Because of various disagreements, the Bowling Green Custom House was not approved until 1899; Gilbert was selected as architect following a competition. The building opened in 1907, and the murals in the rotunda were added in 1938 during a [[Works Progress Administration]] project. The [[United States Customs Service]] moved out of the building in 1974, and it remained vacant for over a decade until renovations in the late 1980s. The Custom House was renamed in 1990 to commemorate [[Alexander Hamilton]], one of the [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]] of the United States and its first [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]]. The Heye Center opened in 1994.

== Site ==
The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House occupies a [[trapezoidal]] plot bounded by [[Bowling Green (New York City)|Bowling Green]] to the north, [[Whitehall Street]] to the east, [[Bridge Street (Manhattan)|Bridge Street]] to the south, and [[State Street (Manhattan)|State Street]] to the west.<ref name="NYC.gov 2015">{{Cite web |url=http://maps.nyc.gov/ |title=NYCityMap |website=NYC.gov |publisher=[[New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications]] |access-date=March 20, 2020 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150524114059/http://maps.nyc.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 74">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=74}}</ref><ref name="Reynolds p. 257">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=257}}</ref> The Whitehall Street and State Street [[Elevation (architecture)|elevations]] are {{Convert|300|ft|-1||abbr=}} wide; the main elevation on Bowling Green is {{Convert|200|ft|-1||abbr=}} wide; and the rear elevation on Bridge Street is {{Convert|290|ft||abbr=}} wide.<ref name="rer19060310">{{cite magazine |date=March 10, 1906 |title=The New Custom House |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_037_10.pdf |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=77 |page=414 |via=[[Columbia University]] |number=1982 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811155007/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_037_10.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, a concrete [[retaining wall]] measuring {{convert|16|ft}} deep was being built around the building.<ref name="Post 2023 y5322">{{cite magazine |last=Post |first=Nadine M. |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Manhattan's Landmark US Custom House Getting Greener-Material Repairs |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/56943-manhattans-landmark-us-custom-house-getting-greener-material-repairs |access-date=May 9, 2024 |work=Engineering News-Record |volume=291 |issue=4 |id={{proQuest|2858718551}}}}</ref> Nearby buildings include the [[International Mercantile Marine Company Building]] and the [[Bowling Green Offices Building]] to the northwest, [[26 Broadway]] to the northeast, [[2 Broadway]] to the east, and One Battery Park Plaza to the south.<ref name="NYC.gov 2015" />

There are entrances to two [[New York City Subway]] stations immediately outside the Custom House. An entrance to the [[Whitehall Street station]] is adjacent to the eastern side of the building, while an entrance to the [[Bowling Green station]] is to the north.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/document/2461 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Bowling Green (4)(5) |year=2018 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=September 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129194947/https://new.mta.info/document/2461 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The building occupies the site of [[Fort Amsterdam]], constructed by the [[Dutch West India Company]] to defend their operations in the [[Hudson Valley]]. The Dutch colony of [[New Amsterdam]], the precursor to modern-day New York City, was developed around the fort. Bowling Green, immediately to the north, is the oldest park in New York City.<ref name="aia5" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 7, 1899 |title=To Occupy a Historic Site; Memories Recalled by the Location of the New Custom House |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/07/archives/to-occupy-a-historic-site-memories-recalled-by-the-location-of-the.html |access-date=April 15, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115013849/https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/07/archives/to-occupy-a-historic-site-memories-recalled-by-the-location-of-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Government House (New York City)|Government House]] occupied the site in the late 18th century before its demolition in 1815.<ref>{{harvnb|Stokes|1915–1928|ps=.|loc=[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5800727_005/pages/ldpd_5800727_005_00000675.html v. 5, p. 1583]}}</ref> The houses of several wealthy New Yorkers were subsequently developed at that location.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 1, 1900 |title=Memories of Bowling Green |page=28 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |issn=2577-9397 |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/48834199/ |access-date=April 16, 2020 |via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Architecture ==
[[File:George Gustav Heye Center Roof 2.JPG|thumb|Roof detail|alt=View of the upper facade of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, with architectural sculptures, from an adjacent building, in Manhattan.]]
The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is seven stories high with a stone facade and an interior steel frame. It was designed by [[Cass Gilbert]] in the [[Beaux-Arts style]].<ref name="NYCL-0020">{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0020.pdf |title=United States Custom House |date=October 14, 1965 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |access-date=November 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226200709/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0020.pdf |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GSA 2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/alexander-hamilton-us-custom-house-new-york-ny |title=Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, NY |date=February 28, 2019 |publisher=[[General Services Administration]] |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612005244/https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/alexander-hamilton-us-custom-house-new-york-ny |archive-date=June 12, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reynolds pp. 256-257">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=256–257}}</ref> The design is similar to those of previous custom houses in New York City, namely [[Ithiel Town]]'s [[Federal Hall]] at 26 Wall Street and [[Isaiah Rogers]]'s Merchants' Exchange building at [[55&nbsp;Wall Street]].<ref name="NYCL p. 1">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=1}}</ref>

The building's design incorporates Beaux-Arts and [[City Beautiful movement|City Beautiful]] planning principles, combining architecture, engineering, and fine arts.<ref name="aia5" /> Gilbert had written in 1900 about his plans for a wide-ranging, [[Site-specific art|site-specific]] decorative program, which would "illustrate the commerce of ancient and modern times, both by land and sea".<ref name="Inland Architect p. 6">{{harvnb|Inland Architect|1900|ps=.|p=6}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> Sculptures, paintings, and decorations by well-known artists of the time, such as [[Daniel Chester French]], [[Karl Bitter]], [[Louis Saint-Gaudens]], and [[Albert Jaegers]], embellish various portions of the interior and exterior.<ref name="aia5">{{Cite aia5|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=t0gj61QSgk8C&pg=PA13 13]}}</ref><ref name="nyt19031108">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/11/08/archives/would-curb-tom-l-johnson-the-new-custom-house-sculptures-to-be.html |title=The New Custom House. Sculptures to be Placed on the Bowling Green Front by Twelve Chosen Sculptors |date=November 8, 1903 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501014928/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/11/08/archives/would-curb-tom-l-johnson-the-new-custom-house-sculptures-to-be.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2024}}, [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]] owns the Custom House.<ref name="ZoLa_1">{{Cite web |title=1 Bowling Green, 10004 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/12/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206193633/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/12/1 |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |publisher=[[New York City Department of City Planning]]}}</ref> The building houses the [[Smithsonian Institution]], the [[National Archives and Records Administration]],<ref name="Roche 2023 i336">{{cite web |last=Roche |first=Daniel |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Cass Gilbert’s Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House is going green thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2023/08/cass-gilbert-alexander-hamilton-us-customs-house-going-green-thanks-inflation-reduction-act/ |access-date=May 9, 2024 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509173753/https://www.archpaper.com/2023/08/cass-gilbert-alexander-hamilton-us-customs-house-going-green-thanks-inflation-reduction-act/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York]],<ref name="Roche 2023 i336" /><ref name="United States Bankruptcy Court 2003">{{cite web |date=December 1, 2003 |title=Manhattan |url=https://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/content/manhattan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814025854/http://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/content/manhattan |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |access-date=August 13, 2022 |publisher=[[United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York]]}}</ref> and offices for the [[United States Department of Transportation]].<ref name="GSA 2019" />

=== Facade ===
Unlike most custom houses, which face the waterfront, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House faces inland toward Bowling Green. Its main entrance is on the northern facade, the only side that does not overlook the Lower Manhattan waterfront.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="Stern (1983) pp. 74-75">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|pp=74–75}}</ref> The exterior is decorated throughout with nautical motifs such as dolphins and waves, interspersed with classical icons such as [[Acanthus (ornament)|acanthus leaves]] and urns.<ref name="Reynolds p. 262">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=262}}</ref>

The first-floor facade is composed of [[Rustication (architecture)|rusticated]] blocks<ref name="GSA 2019" /> and is {{Convert|20|ft||abbr=}} tall.<ref name="rer19060310" /> There are six entrances to the building.<ref name="rer19060310" /><ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /><ref name="AB p. 51">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=51}}</ref> The main entrance is on the northern elevation, where a wide stairway leads to the second floor.<ref name="GSA 2019" /> Under the main entrance arch is a carving of the municipal arms of the city of New York.<ref name="nyt19031108" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 264">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=264}}</ref> The [[Keystone (architecture)|keystone]] at the top of the arch depicts the head of [[Columbia (personification)|Columbia]], the female personification of the United States, and was designed by Vicenzo Albani.<ref name="Reynolds p. 264" /> [[Andrew O'Connor (sculptor)|Andrew O'Connor]] created a [[Cartouche (design)|cartouche]] for the space above the main entrance.<ref name="Reynolds p. 264" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=5}}</ref> The [[lintel]] above the main entrance, quarried in Maine, weighed {{Convert|50|ST|t|abbr=off|sp=us}} and measured {{Convert|30|by|8|ft|abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1904 |title=Big Stone Safe Ashore |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/11/23/archives/may-be-slow-to-choose-di-cesnolas-successor-museum-trustees-say.html |access-date=April 17, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501014930/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/11/23/archives/may-be-slow-to-choose-di-cesnolas-successor-museum-trustees-say.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The second through fourth stories contain [[engaged column]]s in the [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] style; some of these columns are paired while the others are single.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 261">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=261}}</ref> There are 44 columns in total: twelve each on the north, east, and west elevations and eight on the south elevation.<ref name="nyt19060114" /> The second story is the ''[[piano nobile]]''; the windows on this story are flanked by brackets and capped by enclosed [[pediment]]s, with carved heads above them (see {{Section link||Sculptures}}). The third- and fourth-story windows, conversely, are less ornately decorated; this was normal for Beaux-Arts buildings, which generally had greater detailing on the more visible lower levels.<ref name="GSA 2019" /> The lintels above the third-story windows are decorated with wave motifs, while those above the fourth floor depict shells.<ref name="Reynolds p. 262" /> The center portion of the Bridge Street facade reaches only to the third story.<ref name="rer19060310" />

The fifth-story facade consists of a full-story [[entablature]] with a [[frieze]] and short rectangular windows.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="AB p. 52">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=52}}</ref> The sixth story is directly above it, while the seventh story consists of a red-slate [[mansard roof]] with [[dormer]] windows and copper cresting.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 261" /> The mansard roof is extremely steep, allowing the seventh-story attic to be designed as a full floor of usable space.<ref name="Reynolds p. 261" />

==== Sculptures ====
{{Multiple image
|total_width=800
|align=center
|direction=horizontal
|header=The ''Four Continents'' sculptures by Daniel Chester French
|image1=Sculpture "Asia" at main entrance to Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, New York LCCN2010720093.jpg
|caption1=''Asia''
|alt1=Sculpture of Asia by Daniel Chester French
|image2=Sculpture "America" at main entrance to Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, New York LCCN2010720091.tif
|caption2=''America''
|alt2=Sculpture of America by Daniel Chester French
|image3=New York City, May 2014 - 044.JPG
|caption3=''Europe''
|alt3=Sculpture of Europe by Daniel Chester French
|image4=Sculpture "Africa" at main entrance to Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, New York LCCN2010720095.jpg
|caption4=''Africa''
|alt4=Sculpture of Africa by Daniel Chester French
}}

Twelve sculptors were hired to create the figural groups on the exterior.<ref name="nyt19031108" /> The major work flanking the front steps, the ''[[Four Continents (French)|Four Continents]]'', was contracted to Daniel Chester French, who designed the sculptures with associate [[Adolph Alexander Weinman|Adolph A. Weinman]].<ref name="NYCL-0020" /><ref name="Stern (1983) pp. 74-75" /><ref>{{Harvnb|ps=.|Harris|2002|page=269 }}</ref> French received the commission for all four sculptures after [[Augustus Saint-Gaudens]] declined an invitation to design two of the statues.<ref name="TL p. 34">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=34}}</ref> The work was made of marble<ref name="nyt19050430">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/04/30/archives/for-four-marble-groups-symbols-of-continents-for-the-custom-house.html |title=For Four Marble Groups; Symbols of Continents for the Custom House by D.C. French Shown |date=April 30, 1905 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and sculpted by the [[Piccirilli Brothers]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48841243/ |title=Custom House Statues |date=November 13, 1905 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |access-date=March 24, 2020 |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/17/realestate/streetscapes-the-piccirillis-six-brothers-who-left-their-mark-as-sculptors.html |title=Streetscapes/The Piccirillis; Six Brothers Who Left Their Mark as Sculptors |date=October 17, 1999 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108005955/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/17/realestate/streetscapes-the-piccirillis-six-brothers-who-left-their-mark-as-sculptors.html |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p571750816">{{cite news |date=November 13, 1905 |title=Custom House Statues: Work on Four Imposing Groups Well Under Way Statuary for the New Custom House at Bowling Green |page=9 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|571750816}}}}</ref> each sculptural group cost $13,500 ({{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=13500|start_year=1907|fmt=eq}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="TL p. 34" /> The sculptures were produced at the Piccirilli Brothers' studio in [[the Bronx]].<ref name="p571750816" /> From east to west, the statues depict larger-than-life-size [[personification]]s of Asia, America, Europe, and Africa.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 262" /><ref name="nyt19050430" /><ref name="p571525783">{{cite news |date=January 17, 1904 |title=To Adorn New Custom House at Bowling Green: the Great Groups of Statuary Now Under Way Will Symbolize the Entire World—sculptors at Work |page=B8 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|571525783}}}}</ref> The primary figure of each group is a woman and is flanked by smaller human figures. In addition, Asia's figure is paired with a tiger, and Africa's figure is paired with a lion.<ref name="nyt19050430" /><ref name="p571750816" /><ref name="Reynolds pp. 262-263">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=262–263}}</ref>

[[File:NY US Custom House Sculptures from the Cornice (3).JPG|thumb|Sculptures of seafaring nations|alt=Stone sculptures of seafaring nations on the U.S. Custom House cornice]]

The capitals of each of the 44 columns are decorated with carved heads depicting [[Hermes]], the Greek god of commerce.<ref name="AB p. 51" /><ref name="nyt19060114" /><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 75">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=75}}</ref> The windows on the main facade are topped by eight keystones, which contain carved heads with depictions of eight human races.<ref name="NYCL-0020" /><ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 262" /> One source described the keystones as representing "Caucasian, Hindu, Latin, Celt and Mongol, Italian, African, Eskimo, and even the [[Coureur des bois|Coureur de Bois]]".<ref name="AB p. 51" />

Above the main cornice are a group of standing sculptures that personify seafaring nations. There are twelve such statues, which depict commercial hubs through both ancient and modern history.<ref name="NYCL-0020" /><ref name="nyt19031108" /><ref name="p571525783" /> Each sculpture is {{Convert|11|ft||abbr=}} tall and weighs {{Convert|20|ST|t|abbr=off|adj=off|sp=us}}.<ref name="nyt19060114" /> These sculptures are arranged in chronological sequence from east to west, or from left to right as seen from directly in front of the building. The easternmost sculptures are of ancient Greece and Rome, while the westernmost sculptures are of the more recent French and British empires.<ref name="nyt19031108" /><ref name="p571525783" /><ref name="Reynolds pp. 263-264">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=263–264}}</ref> Eight sculptors were commissioned for this work.<ref name="nyt19031108" /><ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|pp=4–5}}</ref> One of these sculptures, ''Germania'' by Albert Jaegers, was modified in 1918 to display Belgian insignia rather than German insignia.<ref name="nyt19180913">{{Cite news |date=September 13, 1918 |title=To Change Teuton Statue; Germania on the Custom House Will Become Belgium. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/13/archives/to-change-teuton-statue-germania-on-the-custom-house-will-become.html |access-date=April 18, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="nyh19180913">{{cite news |date=September 13, 1918 |title=German Statue Will Be Belgian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49002184/ |access-date=April 18, 2020 |work=New York Herald |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501014930/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49002184/german-statue-will-be-belgian/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Bitter created a cartouche of the [[Great Seal of the United States|United States' coat of arms]] for the roof.<ref name="AB p. 51" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 264" />

=== Interior ===
A [[barrel vault|barrel-vaulted]] entrance vestibule, supported by marble columns and decorated with multicolored mosaics, is just inside the entrance. Behind bronze gates is a passageway to the Great Hall.<ref name="GSA 2019" /> At the center of the building is a double-height [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]], rising to the third story.<ref name="rer19060310" /><ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /> On and above the third story, the building is arranged as a hollow quadrilateral, surrounding the rotunda.<ref name="p757763353">{{Cite magazine |date=October 3, 1907 |title=The New Custom House Completed |magazine=Crockery & Glass Journal |page=16 |id={{ProQuest|757763353}}}}</ref><ref name="p129050294">{{cite news |date=March 10, 1906 |title=The New York Custom House: Details of the Great Structure |page=6 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|129050294}}}}</ref> This creates a [[light court]] above the rotunda, which measures {{convert|80|ft}} wide on its north end, {{convert|120|ft}} wide on its south end, and {{convert|200|ft}} deep.<ref name="p129050294" />

Stairways, made of marble with iron handrails, connect the interior spaces.<ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /> There are elevators in each corner;<ref name="rer19060310" /><ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /> the southwestern and southeastern banks contain two elevators each, while the northwestern and northeastern banks have three elevators apiece.<ref name="AB p. 52" /> The northwestern and northeastern elevators were originally open cages but were replaced with enclosed cabs in 1935.<ref name="Reynolds p. 260">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=260}}</ref> Because the original appropriation was limited in scope, decorative elements in the initial construction were limited to several important rooms, including the rotundas, hallways, lobby, and [[Collector of the Port of New York|collector]]'s office.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="nyt19060114">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/01/14/archives/worlds-greatest-custom-house-will-soon-be-completed-splendid.html |title=World's Greatest Custom House Will Soon Be Completed; Splendid Building on Bowling Green or Department Which Collected $183,000,000 for Uncle Sam Last Year Should Be Ready for Business Within 12 Months. |date=January 14, 1906 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501014931/https://www.nytimes.com/1906/01/14/archives/worlds-greatest-custom-house-will-soon-be-completed-splendid.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The walls of these spaces are clad with marble in multiple hues, and there are nautical motifs in numerous locations.<ref name="nyt19060114" />

==== Second floor ====
{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 400
| image1            = Alexander_Hamilton_U.S._Custom_House_Entrance_Ceiling.jpg
| caption1          = The transverse lobby runs from east to west along the second floor.
| image2            = Alexander_Hamilton_U.S._Custom_House_Main_Area.JPG
| caption2          = The rotunda connects the lobby with the exhibition galleries of the Heye Center.
| alt1              = Ceiling of the transverse lobby, which runs from east to west along the second floor
| alt2              = View of the domed rotunda, which contains a skylight at the center, surrounded by murals on the ceiling. The rotunda connects the lobby with the exhibition galleries of the Heye Center.
}}

The second-floor ceiling is generally {{Convert|23|ft||abbr=}} tall.<ref name="p129050294" /><ref name="AB pp. 51-52">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|pp=51–52}}</ref> This floor consists of the former office spaces in the front and rear, the transverse lobby, and the rotunda.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> Gilbert planned the Custom House's interior so "all entrances, corridors, stairways and passages [were] arranged on the most direct and simple axial lines".<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="Inland Architect p. 7">{{harvnb|Inland Architect|1900|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> The second-floor space, including the former offices, is almost entirely occupied by the Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian.<ref name="Floor Plan">{{Cite web |url=https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/visit/NMAI-NY-guide-180525.pdf |title=Floor Plan and Guide |date=April 2018 |publisher=[[George Gustav Heye Center]] |page=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110031646/https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/visit/NMAI-NY-guide-180525.pdf |archive-date=January 10, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref>

===== Transverse lobby =====
The transverse lobby spans the northern end of the second floor from west to east. Generally, the more important offices were positioned north of the lobby, while divisions dealing in more routine work were relegated to the south.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="AB p. 52" /> Following the conversion of the second floor into the Heye Center, the former back offices have been occupied by various exhibition galleries; the cashier's office houses the museum store; and a café occupies the Northwest office adjacent to the main entrance.<ref name="Floor Plan" />

[[Membrane structure|Membrane]] arches divide the lobby into five [[Bay (architecture)|bays]].<ref name="Reynolds p. 260" /> The floors are decorated in marble mosaic patterns. An entablature runs around the top of the lobby, with galleries on the third story.<ref name="AB p. 52" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> There are two doorways on the walls, each topped by carved [[architrave]]s with nautical symbols.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 259">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=259}}</ref> The doors from the lobby to the former offices are made of varnished oak and stippled glass.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 259-260">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=259–260}}</ref> At the center of the lobby is a three-bay-wide foyer with a pair of round arches to the north and south, which are supplemented by green [[Doric order|Doric-style]] marble columns with white capitals.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 260" /> The bays of the foyer are separated by marble [[Pier (architecture)|piers]].<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> Three bronze lanterns are suspended from the vaulted ceiling,<ref name="AB p. 52" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 260" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> hanging above a red-marble disc on the floor. Elmer E. Garnsey designed murals for the ceiling.<ref name="Reynolds p. 260" />

Semicircular staircases, with bronze railings and marble stair treads, flank the lobby.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="AB p. 52" /> The stairs do not have any metal support structures and are composed entirely of flat, hard-burned clay tiles.<ref>{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=61}}</ref> Under each stair are [[timbrel vault]]s, which connect each landing. The stairs rise to the seventh floor, which contains a skylight that is meant to evoke the design of a ship's cabin.<ref name="Reynolds p. 260" /> Only the western stair between the first and second floors is open to the public.<ref name="Floor Plan" /> The elevator doors in the lobby are topped by bronze [[Transom (architecture)|transom]] grilles that depict a [[caravel]] or sailing ship.<ref name="Reynolds p. 260" /> There are two additional stairs at the rear, or southern, end of the building.<ref name="p757763353" />

===== Offices and rotunda =====
The collector's office is at the northwestern corner of the second floor.<ref name="AB p. 52" /><ref name="Floor Plan" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> The office contains elaborate hardwood floors and oak [[wainscoting]] designed by [[Tiffany glass|Tiffany Studios]];<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> the wainscoting measures {{convert|10|ft}} high.<ref name="p757763353" /> Garnsey painted ten oil paintings, which are installed above the wainscoting.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Reynolds pp. 258-259">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=258–259}}</ref> Each painting has a gold frame and depicts a Dutch or English port in the [[New World]].<ref name="Reynolds pp. 258-259" /> The office also included a stone [[fireplace mantel]] with a plaque referencing Fort Amsterdam and the Government House.<ref name="AB p. 542">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=54}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|New York State Legislature|1914|P=98}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=8}}</ref> The coffered plaster ceiling has molded decorations, including a motif of the collector's monogram.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="AB p. 542" /> Fourteen lighting fixtures, covered in gold leaf, hang from the ceiling.<ref name="Reynolds p. 258">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=258}}</ref> The room is normally closed to the public but can be rented for events.<ref name="National Museum of the American Indian 2018">{{cite web |url=https://americanindian.si.edu/support/specialevents/newyork |title=Host an Event in New York, NY |date=August 1, 2018 |publisher=[[George Gustav Heye Center]] |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309140516/https://americanindian.si.edu/support/specialevents/newyork |archive-date=March 9, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The manager's office is next to the collector's office and is decorated with plain plaster walls, topped by a cornice in the [[Ionic order]].<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 259" /> The northeastern corner housed the cashier's office, which featured a white-marble countertop with a bronze screen.<ref name="AB p. 542" /><ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The southern half of the cashier's room has white-marble walls and was originally where members of the public conducted their transactions. The northern half, where the cashiers themselves worked, has plaster walls.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Reynolds p. 259" /> The ornate plasterwork ceiling is decorated to resemble Renaissance "boxed beams",<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> while the marble floor has a geometric border.<ref name="Reynolds p. 259" /> The former cashier's office has been incorporated into the Heye Center's museum store.<ref name="Floor Plan" />

The elliptical rotunda, within the building's interior courtyard, measures {{Convert|85|by|135|ft|abbr=}}<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="AB p. 56">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=56}}</ref> and rises to the third story.<ref name="GSA 2019" /> The walls and floors are composed of geometric marble tiles in several hues.<ref name="Reynolds p. 257" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> The ceiling is self-supporting, without any interior metal structure; it uses the [[Guastavino tile]] arch system created by Spanish architect [[Rafael Guastavino]]. It consists of numerous layers of fireproof tiles,{{efn|The lower sections of the rotunda's ceiling are made of nine layers of tiles, while the upper sections are composed of three layers. These are arranged as two "shells" with a space between them.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="AB p. 60" />}} each of which measures {{Convert|6|x|12|in|cm|abbr=}} across and {{Convert|1|in|cm|abbr=}} thick. The tiles and layers are bonded using Portland cement.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="AB p. 60" /> The center of the ceiling is occupied by a {{Convert|140|ST|t|abbr=off|adj=on|sp=us}} oval [[skylight]].<ref name="Reynolds p. 257" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="AB p. 60">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1908|ps=.|p=60}}</ref> The underside of the ceiling bears eight trapezoidal panels, as well as eight long, narrow panels between them.<ref name="AB p. 56" /><ref name="Reynolds pp. 257-258">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|pp=257–258}}</ref> The panels contain [[fresco-secco]] murals, which were painted in 1937 by [[Reginald Marsh (artist)|Reginald Marsh]] and eight assistants as part of the [[Treasury Relief Art Project]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/u-s-custom-house-murals-new-york-ny/ |title=U.S. Custom House Murals – New York NY |website=[[Living New Deal]] |publisher=Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley |access-date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426064214/https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/u-s-custom-house-murals-new-york-ny/ |archive-date=April 26, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=O'Connor |first=Francis V. |author-link=Francis V. O'Connor |date=Autumn 1969 |title=The New Deal Art Projects in New York |journal=The American Art Journal |publisher=Kennedy Galleries, Inc. |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=62–63 |doi=10.2307/1593876 |jstor=1593876}}</ref><ref name="NYCL pp. 6-7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|pp=6–7}}</ref>{{efn|The assistants were Xavier J. Barile, Lloyd Lozes Goff, Mary Fife, Ludwig Mactarian, Oliver M. Baker, John Poehler, J. Walkely. and E. Volsung.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" />}} The larger murals portray shipping activity in the [[Port of New York and New Jersey]], while the smaller murals depict notable explorers of the New World and the Port of New York.<ref name="Reynolds pp. 257-258" /> Several shipping companies bought lunch for Marsh while he was painting the murals; as such, the murals depict these companies' ships.<ref name="n122198676">{{Cite news |last=Wallach |first=Amei |date=September 16, 1973 |title=Rescuing the Art of a Grander Age |pages=63, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122198725/custom-house/ 76] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122198676/rescuing-the-art-of-a-grander-ageamei/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2574-5298 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213246/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122198676/rescuing-the-art-of-a-grander-ageamei/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The rotunda can be rented for special events.<ref name="National Museum of the American Indian 2018" /> When the Heye Center opened within the building in 1994, it built several permanent galleries around the rotunda.<ref name="p306700683">{{cite news |date=October 27, 1994 |title=Renovated Custom House is a work of art itself |page=05D |work=USA Today |id={{ProQuest|306700683}}}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160" caption="Rotunda murals">
File:Marsh-Hudson-Ambrose-Block-Custom-House.jpg|From left: ''[[Henry Hudson|Explorer Hudson]]'', ''SS Washington Passing Ambrose Lightship'', ''[[Adriaen Block|Explorer Block]]''
File:Mural, fresco by Reginald Marsh (ship, man climbing aboard) at New York City Customs House - NARA - 195817.tif|''Picking Up the Pilot''
File:Marsh-Verrazano-Calumet-Columbus-Custom-House.jpg|From left: ''[[Giovanni da Verrazzano|Explorer Verrazano]]'', ''Coast Guard Cutter Calumet Meeting the SS Washington'', ''[[Christopher Columbus|Explorer Columbus]]''
File:Marsh-Customs-Official-Boarding-Custom-House.jpg|''Customs Officials Boarding Liner''
File:Marsh-Gomez-Custom-House.jpg|''[[Estêvão Gomes|Explorer Gomez]]''
File:Marsh-Passing-Liberty-Custom-House.jpg|''Passing the Statue of Liberty''
File:Marsh-Cabot-Custom-House.jpg|''[[John Cabot|Explorer Cabot]]''
File:Marsh-Interviewing-Celebrity-Custom-House.jpg|''The Press Interviewing a Celebrity''
File:Marsh-Vespucius-Custom-House.jpg|''[[Amerigo Vespucci|Explorer Vespucius]]''
File:Marsh-Unloading-Cargo-Custom-House.jpg|''Unloading Cargo''
</gallery>

==== Other stories ====
The ground story is {{Convert|20|ft||abbr=}} tall.<ref name="AB p. 51" /><ref name="p129050294" /> It originally had six entrances: two on the front and two each on State and Whitehall Streets.<ref name="p129050294" /> The Bowling Green post office, operated by the [[United States Postal Service]], was formerly near the building's south end. The post office was located around a west–east corridor accessed by both State and Whitehall Streets.<ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /><ref name="nyt19070911">{{Cite news |date=July 1, 1906 |title=Postal Station Moves to New Custom House; New Home to Have Electric Stampers and a Tube Service |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/07/01/archives/postal-station-moves-to-new-custom-house-new-home-to-have-electric.html |access-date=April 16, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501014930/https://www.nytimes.com/1906/07/01/archives/postal-station-moves-to-new-custom-house-new-home-to-have-electric.html |url-status=live}}</ref> There are also two ramps for delivery vehicles.<ref name="Inland Architect p. 6" /> The floor surface, wainscoting, and [[pilaster]]s are made of marble, and the ceilings are {{Convert|17|ft||abbr=}} high.<ref name="nyt19070911" /> In the early 1990s, a 350-seat auditorium was built on the ground story.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=272}}</ref> About {{Convert|6000|ft2||abbr=}} of storage space on the ground floor, under the rotunda, was converted into the [[George Gustav Heye Center]]'s Diker Pavilion for Native Arts and Cultures in 2006. This pavilion consists of a slightly sloped circular space seating 400 people, surrounding a maple dance floor.<ref name="nyt20060811">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=August 11, 2006 |title=Indian Museum Adds Space in the Round |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/nyregion/11indian.html |access-date=April 17, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128024324/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/nyregion/11indian.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Custom House's trapezoidal site was excavated to an average depth of {{convert|25|ft}}.<ref name="p571143745">{{cite news |date=January 12, 1902 |title=An Underground City: the Huge Cellars of New-york Skyscrapers, Their Uses and Contents Cellar of the New Custom House in Bowling Green |page=A5 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|571143745}}}}</ref> Two stories were placed beneath the ground level. The first basement was just above [[sea level]] and had a {{convert|13|ft|m|-high|adj=mid}} ceiling, while the second basement had a waterproof asphalt-and-tar floor.<ref name="p129050294" /> When the post office was in operation, mail arrived through the delivery docks and was sorted in the basement.<ref name="nyt19070911" />

The upper stories contain office space. The outer portion of the fifth story was initially used for document storage; the windows are small [[aperture]]s within the entablature, making that story unsuitable for office use.<ref name="AB pp. 51-52" /> The ceilings of the upper stories are between {{Convert|12|and|16|ft|abbr=}} tall.<ref name="AB p. 51" /><ref name="p129050294" /> Some of the offices on the upper stories were ornately decorated. In particular, the Naval Commander of the Port's office at the northwest corner of the third floor was decorated in dark oak. The Treasury Secretary's office at the northeast corner of the seventh floor was finished in quartered oak and contained Circassian-walnut furniture.<ref name="p757763353" />

==History==
{{For|further information on previous custom houses in New York City|United States Custom House (New York City)}}
The [[United States Customs Service]] had been formed in 1789 with the passage of the [[Tariff Act of 1789|Tariff Act]], which authorized the collection of duties on imported goods.<ref name="Reynolds p. 252">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=252}}</ref> The [[Port of New York and New Jersey|Port of New York]] was the primary port of entry for goods reaching the United States in the 19th century and, as such, the [[United States Custom House (New York City)|New York Custom House]] was the country's most profitable custom house.<ref name="NYCL p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> Import taxes were a major revenue stream for the federal government before a national income tax was implemented in 1913 with the passage of the [[Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|16th Amendment]].<ref name="Reynolds p. 252" /><ref name="Vowell">{{harvnb|ps=.|Vowell|2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/assassinationvac00vowe/page/127 127] }}</ref> The New York Custom House had supplied two-thirds of the federal government's revenue at one point.<ref name="Vowell" /> Because the salary of the collector was tied to the custom house's revenue, the New York Custom House's collector earned more than the U.S. president, and the position was extremely powerful.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Hartman|1952|page=10 }}</ref> [[File:NYCustomHouseMerchantsExchange.jpg|thumb|The [[55&nbsp;Wall Street|Merchants' Exchange Building]] served as New York City's custom house before the Alexander Hamilton Custom House was built.|alt=Black-and-white sketch of the Merchants' Exchange Building]]The New York Custom House had occupied several sites in Lower Manhattan before the Alexander Hamilton Custom House was built.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 74" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> The first such house was established in 1790 at [[William Street (Manhattan)|South William Street]].<ref>{{harvnb|Stokes|1915–1928|loc=[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5800727_002/pages/ldpd_5800727_002_00000591.html v. 2, p. 301]}}; {{harvnb|Stokes|1915–1928|ps=.|loc=[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5800727_005/pages/ldpd_5800727_005_00000335.html v. 5, p. 1263]}}</ref> The custom house moved to the Government House on the site of Fort Amsterdam in 1799.<ref name="aia5" /><ref>{{harvnb|Stokes|1915–1928|ps=.|loc=[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5800727_005/pages/ldpd_5800727_005_00000447.html v. 5, p. 1367]}}</ref> The customs service relocated numerous times in the 19th century before opening an office at 55&nbsp;Wall Street in 1862.<ref>{{Cite nycland |page=16}}</ref> The Wall Street location had been optimal during the mid-19th century because it was close to the Subtreasury at 26 Wall Street, thereby making it easy to transport gold.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" />

=== Planning and construction ===
The Custom House on Wall Street had become overcrowded by 1887.<ref name="TL p. 33">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=33}}</ref> William J. Fryer Jr., superintendent of repairs of New York City's federal-government buildings, wrote to the [[United States Department of the Treasury]]'s [[Office of the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury|Supervising Architect]] in February 1888 about the "old, damp, ill-lighted, badly ventilated" quarters at 55&nbsp;Wall Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Swett Thornton 2005 p. 123">{{harvnb|ps=.|Swett|Thornton|2005|pages=122–123}}</ref> ''Architecture and Building'' magazine called the letter "worthy of thoughtful investigation".<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|''Architecture and Building''|1888 |page=40}}</ref> The 55&nbsp;Wall Street building's proximity to the Subtreasury was no longer advantageous, as it was easier to use a check or certificate to make payments on revenue.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> On September 14, 1888, the [[United States Congress]] passed an act that would allow site selection for a new custom house and appraiser's warehouse.<ref name="nyt18891030">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/10/30/archives/in-and-about-the-city-exceeded-his-authority-more-facts-about-the.html |title=In and About the City; Exceeded His Authority. More Facts About the Selection of the Bowling Green Site. |date=October 30, 1889 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404231222/https://www.nytimes.com/1889/10/30/archives/in-and-about-the-city-exceeded-his-authority-more-facts-about-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Soon after, Fryer presented his report to the [[Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York|New York State Chamber of Commerce]].<ref name="Swett Thornton 2005 p. 123" /> The Chamber said in 1889: "We have not seriously considered the removal of the present Custom House proper, since it is well located, and, if found inadequate, can easily be easily be enlarged to meet all the wants of the Government for an indefinite time to come."<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|New York Chamber of Commerce|1889|page=37}}</ref>

==== Site selection ====
Fryer recommended Bowling Green as his first preference for a new custom house, followed by a site immediately south, along State Street north of [[Battery Park]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/09/06/archives/for-new-public-buildings-the-report-of-superintendent-william-j.html |title=For New Public Buildings.; the Report of Superintendent William J. Fryer, Jr. |date=September 6, 1888 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The U.S. [[United States House of Representatives|House]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]] both passed a bill in March 1889, appropriating $750,000 ({{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=750000|start_year=1889|fmt=eq}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}) for a new custom house in the vicinity of Bowling Green.<ref name="nyt-1899-03-01">{{Cite news |date=March 1, 1899 |title=The New York Custom House; Bill for the Purchase of the Bowling Green Site Passes in Senate and House. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/03/01/archives/the-new-york-custom-house-bill-for-the-purchase-of-the-bowling.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p574585687">{{cite news |date=March 1, 1889 |title=New Custom House Assured: the Bill Passed by Both Houses of Congress Provision for a Building on the Bowling Green Site—Mr. Low Takes Mr. Quigg to Task |page=3 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574585687}}}}</ref> One supporter of the Bowling Green site implied that it had been left that way "in order that New York might have a public building worthy of the city and the nation".<ref name="TL p. 33" /> That September, Treasury secretary [[William Windom]] selected Bowling Green as the new site of the custom house and appraiser's warehouse.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/09/11/archives/bowling-green-selected-to-be-the-site-of-the-appraisers-stores.html |title=Bowling Green Selected; to Be the Site of the Appraisers Stores. |date=September 11, 1889 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p573578901">{{cite news |date=September 11, 1889 |title=Bowling Green Chosen: New-York's New Custom House and Appraiser's Stores to Be Built There Reasons That Influenced Secretary Windom to Select This Site—probable Cost of the Improvements |page=1 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573578901}}}}</ref> Almost immediately, Windom was accused of exceeding his authority in selecting the new site.<ref name="nyt18891030" /> In addition, many local businessmen opposed moving the custom house,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/01/21/archives/object-to-bowling-green-why-business-men-oppose-the-removal-of-the.html |title=Object to Bowling Green.; Why Business Men Oppose the Removal of the Custom House. |date=January 21, 1891 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p573546547">{{cite news |date=September 12, 1889 |title=For and Against the Site: Discussing the Proposed Custom House Downtown Merchants Enthusiastic Over Secretary Windom's Decision—Arguments Against It |page=3 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573546547}}}}</ref> and a judge ruled in 1891 that the federal government could not take the Bowling Green site by [[eminent domain]] as it had proposed to do.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/03/17/archives/it-would-be-unlawful-to-condemn-the-bowling-green-site-as-proposed.html |title=It Would Be Unlawful; to Condemn the Bowling Green Site as Proposed. Judge Wallace Decides That If Uncle Sam Wants Land for a Custom House He Must Proceed According to State Statutes. |date=March 17, 1891 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Both houses of the U.S. Congress passed a bill to acquire land for a new custom house in New York City, and to sell the old building, in March 1891.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/03/03/archives/the-new-custom-house-passage-of-the-bill-which-now-goes-to-the.html |title=The New Custom House.; Passage of the Bill, Which Now Goes to the President. |date=March 3, 1891 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404231224/https://www.nytimes.com/1891/03/03/archives/the-new-custom-house-passage-of-the-bill-which-now-goes-to-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p573670279">{{cite news |date=March 3, 1891 |title=On the Bowling Green Site: the House Passes the Custom House Bill a Deal Successfully Carried Out by the New-York and Philadelphia Members—What the Measure Provides |page=1 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573670279}}}}</ref> The federal government appointed three commissioners to appraise the cost of acquiring land at Bowling Green; in July 1892, the appraisers estimated that the site would cost $1.96&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1.96|start_year=1892|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/07/08/archives/the-appraisal-completed-what-the-site-of-the-new-custom-house-will.html |title=The Appraisal Completed; What the Site of the New Custom House Will Cost. |date=July 8, 1892 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Still, in January 1893, there was not enough money to purchase the lots at Bowling Green. The lessees and landowners were supposed to receive $2.1&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2.1|start_year=1893|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}), but there was only $1.5&nbsp;million on hand (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1.5|start_year=1893|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}). The 1891 bill had allowed up to $2&nbsp;million for land acquisition and had required that the previous building be sold for at least $4&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/01/12/archives/pretty-badly-tangled-up-matters-relating-to-the-new-custom-house.html |title=Pretty Badly Tangled up; Matters Relating to the New Custom House Site. Not Enough Money Available to Purchase the Bowling Green Property – Clouds on the Titles – the Courts to Be Asked to Straighten Things Out. |date=January 12, 1893 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="nyw18980210">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48789448/ |title=That New Custom House |date=February 10, 1898 |work=New York World |issn=1941-0654 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Members of Congress voted against a bill in March 1893 to appropriate an additional $800,000 for the site.<ref name="nyt-1893-03-05">{{Cite news |date=March 5, 1893 |title=The Bowling Green Site.; Its Opponents Pleased at the Failure of the Appropriation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/05/archives/the-bowling-green-site-its-opponents-pleased-at-the-failure-of-the.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202406/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/05/archives/the-bowling-green-site-its-opponents-pleased-at-the-failure-of-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of a lack of funding, the planned custom house at Bowling Green was abandoned at the end of that month.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 31, 1893 |title=The Bowling Green Site Abandoned. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/31/archives/the-bowling-green-site-abandoned.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202407/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/03/31/archives/the-bowling-green-site-abandoned.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p139055832">{{cite news |date=March 31, 1893 |title=Around the Departments: the Bowling Green Site Abandoned. |page=2 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|139055832}}}}</ref>

The project did not proceed further until January 1897, when bills for the acquisition of the Bowling Green site were introduced in both houses of Congress.<ref name="p574262052">{{cite news |date=January 19, 1897 |title=New Custom House Bill Reported: a Measure for the Purchase of the Bowling Green Site Also Introduced |page=2 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574262052}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1897-01-19">{{Cite news |date=January 19, 1897 |title=New York Custom House; The Murphy Bill Favorably Reported to the Senate. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/01/19/archives/new-york-custom-house-the-murphy-bill-favorably-reported-to-the.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202358/https://www.nytimes.com/1897/01/19/archives/new-york-custom-house-the-murphy-bill-favorably-reported-to-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Federal legislators proposed further appropriations,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/48787962/ |title=New Customs House Site in New York |date=December 5, 1897 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |issn=2577-9397 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |page=5 |via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404231218/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/48787962/new-customs-house-site-in-new-york/ |url-status=live}}</ref> but the Treasury retained the disbursements that would have gone to the landowners.<ref name="nyw18980210" /><ref name="rer18990429">{{cite magazine |date=April 29, 1899 |title=The Bowling Green Site |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_023_18.pdf |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=63 |page=762 |via=[[Columbia University]] |number=1624 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811161446/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_023_18.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The federal government chose an [[Federal Office Building (New York City)|alternate site for the appraiser's warehouse]] in the [[West Village]] of Manhattan,<ref name="rer18990429" /> near where much of the city's international shipping activity took place.<ref name="TL p. 33" />

==== Site acquisition and architectural competition ====
[[File:USA-NYC-National Museum of American Indian crop.jpg|thumb|The building seen from Bowling Green]]
Architectural writer Donald Reynolds stated that the new custom house was to be as modern as possible, with "an architectural style that embodied the tradition of the customs service, the federal government, and the United States with the latest building technology".<ref name="Reynolds p. 256">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=.|p=256}}</ref> The [[Tarsney Act]], passed in 1893, permitted the Supervising Architect to host a competition to hire private architects to design federal-government buildings. The act did not take effect until Treasury secretary [[Lyman J. Gage]] took office in 1897.<ref name="NYCL p. 3">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> Furthermore, it was difficult for the federal government to sell the old building for the required price of $4&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4|start_year=1892|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/11/archives/new-custom-house-projected-collector-bidwell-enlists-secretary-gage.html |title=New Custom House Projected; Collector Bidwell Enlists Secretary Gage in Favor of a Building on the Bowling Green Site. |date=February 11, 1898 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The new New York Custom House was only the fourth building to be built under the Tarsney Act.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" />

[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] officials wished to have complete control over spending for the new custom house building.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> Originally, the Chamber of Commerce and many business interests advocated for erecting a new custom house on the Wall Street site, even though it was less than half the size of the proposed Bowling Green site.<ref name="nyw18980210" /> In 1897, Senator [[Thomas C. Platt]] and Representative [[Lemuel E. Quigg]], both Republicans, proposed bills in the [[United States Senate]] and [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] for building a new custom house at Wall Street, with Platt's bill calling for a five-person commission to oversee the process.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/02/20/archives/the-custom-house-bill-commission-plan-accepted-with-some-amendments.html |title=The Custom House Bill; Commission Plan Accepted with Some Amendments, and the Measure Reported Favorably |date=February 20, 1897 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The bills died at the end of the [[54th United States Congress]] in March 1897.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48791609/ |title=The New Custom House |date=March 4, 1897 |work=Brooklyn Times-Union |access-date=April 15, 2020 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> During the [[55th United States Congress|55th Congress]] in February 1898, legislation for the acquisition of the Bowling Green site was again proposed in the U.S. House and Senate, providing $5&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=5|start_year=1898|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}) for land acquisition and construction.<ref name="nyw18980210" /><ref name="nyt-1898-02-11">{{Cite news |date=February 11, 1898 |title=New Custom House Projected; Collector Bidwell Enlists Secretary Gage in Favor of a Building on the Bowling Green Site. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/11/archives/new-custom-house-projected-collector-bidwell-enlists-secretary-gage.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The U.S. House and Senate passed the Bowling Green bills in early 1899.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/03/01/archives/the-new-york-custom-house-bill-for-the-purchase-of-the-bowling.html |title=The New York Custom House; Bill for the Purchase of the Bowling Green Site Passes in Senate and House. |date=March 1, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 4, 1899 |title=The Outsider and the Market |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_023_9.pdf |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=63 |page=366 |via=[[Columbia University]] |number=1616 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618154443/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_023_9.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, most of the structures on the site were three-story houses used by steamship offices;<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> by April, agreements had been made with most of the sixteen landowners.<ref name="rer18990429" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/04/20/archives/for-the-custom-house-site-all-but-three-bowling-green-property.html |title=For the Custom House Site; All but Three Bowling Green Property Owners Consent to Sell. |date=April 20, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The federal government disbursed $2.2&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2.2|start_year=1899|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}) to landowners at the Bowling Green site that July.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/07/27/archives/the-new-custom-house-site-formal-transfer-of-the-bowling-green.html |title=The New Custom House Site; Formal Transfer of the Bowling Green Property |date=July 27, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p574637309">{{cite news |date=July 27, 1899 |title=Custom House Site Paid for: Collector Bidwell, Signs Checks for $2,197.000 and Receives the Deeds |page=14 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574637309}}}}</ref> The next month, the old Custom House was sold for $3.21&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=3.21|start_year=1899|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/08/30/archives/old-custom-house-paid-for-the-3210000-makes-a-material-change-in.html |title=Old Custom House Paid For; The $3,210,000 Makes a Material Change in Treasury Statement. |date=August 30, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Twenty firms were invited in May 1899 to submit designs to the competition under the terms of the Tarsney Act;<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/12/archives/new-york-custom-house-government-invites-twenty-firms-of-architects.html |title=New York Custom House; Government Invites Twenty Firms of Architects to Compete. |date=May 12, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> according to ''The New York Times'', the federal government took "great care" in selecting the architects who were to be invited.<ref name="nyt-1899-05-03">{{Cite news |date=May 3, 1899 |title=The New Custom House; Invitations to Submit Plans for the Bowling Green Building to be Sent to Twenty Architects To-day. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/03/archives/the-new-custom-house-invitations-to-submit-plans-for-the-bowling.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202333/https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/03/archives/the-new-custom-house-invitations-to-submit-plans-for-the-bowling.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Federal supervising architect [[James Knox Taylor]] stipulated that any plan include a ground-level basement and up to six stories, as well as a southward-facing light court above the third story.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/06/23/archives/new-custom-house-plans-architects-who-are-to-compete-for-the-design.html |title=New Custom House Plans; Architects Who Are to Compete for the Design Receive the Government's Specifications. |date=June 23, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A committee of three men, including Taylor, was appointed to look over the submissions.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="TL p. 34" />

By September 1899, there were two finalists: architecture firm [[Carrere & Hastings]] and architect Cass Gilbert.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 74" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/09/24/archives/custom-house-plans-chosen-committee-selects-those-of-carrere.html |title=Custom House Plans Chosen; Committee Selects Those of Carrere & Hastings and Cass Gilbert – One of Them May Withdraw. |date=September 24, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9351469/ |title=Two Custom-House Ideas |date=September 25, 1899 |work=New York World |issn=1941-0654 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |page=5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Carrere & Hastings's design had called for a Beaux-Arts structure with decorative trim, while Gilbert's design included more French [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance Revival]] elements with copious statuary.<ref name="TL p. 34" /> After a plan for the two finalists to collaborate failed,<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> Taylor picked Gilbert, who had been his partner at the Gilbert & Taylor architecture firm in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]].<ref name="TL p. 34" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Lee|2000|page=197}}</ref> The selection of Gilbert was controversial, drawing opposition from Platt and several groups.<ref name="NYW-Picture-1899">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48791959/ |title=First Picture of New Custom-House to be Built on Bowling Green |date=November 6, 1899 |work=New York World |issn=1941-0654 |access-date=February 2, 2020 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/10/25/archives/senator-platt-and-the-custom-house.html |title=Senator Platt and the Custom House. |date=October 25, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815150421/https://www.nytimes.com/1899/10/25/archives/senator-platt-and-the-custom-house.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Some of the opposition centered around the fact that Gilbert was a "westerner" who had just moved from Minnesota to New York City, and several opponents raised doubts about the jury's competence.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="TL p. 34" /><ref name="NYW-Picture-1899" /> Gage certified Gilbert's selection in November 1899.<ref name="NYW-Picture-1899" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/11/04/archives/custom-house-architect-secretary-gage-accepts-the-plans-of-cass.html |title=Custom House Architect; Secretary Gage Accepts the Plans of Cass Gilbert |date=November 4, 1899 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Opposition to his selection decreased significantly afterward<ref name="NYW-Picture-1899" /> after the [[American Institute of Architects]]' New York chapter criticized the controversy as "unseemly".<ref name="TL p. 34" />

==== Construction ====
[[File:Alexander Hamilton Custom House rotunda ceiling (40572)a.jpg|thumb|Interior of the rotunda]]
Demolition of existing buildings on the site began in February 1900,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/02/02/archives/new-custom-house-site-work-of-tearing-down-old-buildings-will-go-on.html |title=New Custom House Site; Work of Tearing Down Old Buildings Will Go on at Once. |date=February 2, 1900 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |url-status=live |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007000738/https://www.nytimes.com/1900/02/02/archives/new-custom-house-site-work-of-tearing-down-old-buildings-will-go-on.html |archive-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> and demolition contractor Seagrist & Co. had cleared the site by that July.<ref name="p570809254">{{cite news |date=July 29, 1900 |title=Work on the New Custom House: Progress Outlined by Mr. Gilbert, the Architect |page=A2 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|570809254}}}}</ref> The next month, workers drilled test bores for the new Custom House's foundations.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/08/14/archives/custom-house-foundations-borings-being-made-on-the-site-for-the-new.html |title=Custom House Foundations; Borings Being Made on the Site for the New Building. |date=August 14, 1900 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Contracts for the building's foundations and structural steel were delayed because the federal government had received several bids, whose estimated completion dates differed significantly.<ref name="p570871459">{{cite news |date=December 5, 1900 |title=Delay in Custom House Contract |page=10 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|570871459}}}}</ref> Isaac A. Hopper was contracted to excavate the site that December.<ref name="p570885378">{{cite news |date=December 20, 1900 |title=Dispute on Custom House Bids: Officials Contend That Hopper's is Not Really as Low as Charles T. Wills's |page=6 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|570885378}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1900-12-23">{{Cite news |date=December 23, 1900 |title=New Custom House Contract; Bid of Isaac A. Hopper & Son of This City Accepted by the Treasury. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/12/23/archives/new-custom-house-contract-bid-of-isaac-a-hopper-son-of-this-city.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213243/https://www.nytimes.com/1900/12/23/archives/new-custom-house-contract-bid-of-isaac-a-hopper-son-of-this-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The collector of the Port of New York, [[George R. Bidwell]], claimed the contract should have been awarded to the next highest bidder, Charles T. Wills, who like Bidwell was a Republican.<ref name="p570885378" /> The site was excavated to a depth of {{Convert|25|ft||abbr=}}, and some {{Convert|2.2|e6ft3||abbr=}} of dirt was removed. The ''[[New-York Tribune]]'' called the site "the biggest hole that was ever made in this city over which to erect a building".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48841340/ |title=An Underground City |date=January 12, 1902 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |page=21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The federal government also requested bids for the building's facade. The government was not allowed to request material from a specific quarry, so multiple contractors submitted bids for numerous types of marble, limestone, and granite.<ref name="TL p. 33" /> In December 1901, the federal government accepted contractor John Peirce's bid to erect the Custom House building's first floor.{{efn|Peirce (also spelled Pierce) was previously one of the United States' largest granite contractors. As a general building contractor, he also worked on numerous [[early skyscrapers]], as well as the [[New York Public Library Main Branch]].<ref>{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf |title=John Peirce Residence |date=June 23, 2009 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |access-date=February 2, 2020 |pages=4–5 |archive-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610192640/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>}}<ref name=":3" /> Pending further appropriations, the rest of the building would also be built by Peirce.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/12/03/archives/to-build-new-custom-house-pierce-has-firststory-contract-will-erect.html |title=To Build New Custom House; Pierce Has First-Story Contract |date=December 3, 1901 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="TL pp. 34–35">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|pages=34–35}}</ref> At the time, there was only $3&nbsp;million budgeted toward the Custom House's completion (equal to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=3|start_year=1901|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="TL pp. 34–35" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/11/22/archives/may-delay-work-on-the-new-custom-house-controller-of-the-treasury.html |title=May Delay Work on the New Custom House; Controller of the Treasury Gives an Important Decision |date=November 22, 1901 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="tribune19070630">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32478230/ |title=Wonderful Pile! |date=June 30, 1907 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |page=58 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The federal government was required to obtain a congressional appropriation before the project could be completed, so federal officials told Peirce to build only the first story.<ref name="TL p. 35">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=35}}</ref> Peirce was authorized to complete the remaining stories in November 1902,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48842152/ |title=News of the Day Briefly Told |date=November 8, 1902 |work=Brooklyn Standard Union |access-date=April 17, 2020 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> after another $1.5&nbsp;million (equal to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1.5|start_year=1901|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}) was allocated.<ref name="tribune19070630" /> Under the terms of the contract, Pierce was to procure Fox Island granite and would be paid $2.2&nbsp;million (equal to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2.2|start_year=1901|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="TL p. 33" />

The [[cornerstone]] of the building was laid on October 7, 1902, in a ceremony attended by Treasury secretary [[Leslie M. Shaw]]. After a [[ticker tape parade]] down Broadway, the cornerstone, filled with contemporary souvenirs and artifacts, was placed at the northeast corner of the site.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/10/08/archives/cornerstone-of-new-custom-house-lald-secretary-shaw-performs.html |title=Cornerstone of New Custom House Laid; Secretary Shaw Performs Ceremony and Makes an Address. Plea for Interchangeability of All Forms of Our Money with Gold – English the Language of Commerce. |date=October 8, 1902 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48841770/ |title=New Custom House Formally Begun |date=October 7, 1902 |work=Brooklyn Standard Union |access-date=April 17, 2020 |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The new Custom House's construction lagged due to government bureaucracy, while work on comparable private buildings nearby proceeded more quickly.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/11/30/archives/contzactozs-rush-skyscrapezs-while-public-buildings-creep-the-new.html |title=Contractors Rush Skyscrapers While Public Buildings Creep; The New Custom House, Public Library and Hall of Records Tied Down by Government Red Tape |date=November 30, 1902 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The slow construction was attributed to various reasons, such as concurrent jobs being undertaken by the building's contractors, money shortages, and lack of supplies.<ref name="tribune19070630" /> Nonetheless, the building's imminent completion sparked the development of other nearby sites.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/12/10/archives/influence-of-custom-house-on-surrounding-property-further-building.html |title=Influence of Custom House on Surrounding Property; Further Building Operations Looked for Upon Completion of that Structure |date=December 10, 1905 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2020 |url-status=live |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609052817/https://www.nytimes.com/1905/12/10/archives/influence-of-custom-house-on-surrounding-property-further-building.html |archive-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref> The Custom House was reportedly 70 percent complete by February 1905, according to Peirce.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 4, 1905 |title=Building Operations South of Chambers Street |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_035_5.pdf |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=75 |page=244 |via=[[Columbia University]] |number=1925 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724194326/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_035_5.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> That September, J. C. Robinson was contracted to furnish the interior of the building, while New-York Steam Fitting was hired to install the mechanical equipment.<ref name="nyt-1905-09-01">{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1905 |title=Custom House Contract Let |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/09/01/archives/three-justiceships-for-tammany-men-successors-to-van-brunt-and.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331145052/https://www.nytimes.com/1905/09/01/archives/three-justiceships-for-tammany-men-successors-to-van-brunt-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48856266/ |title=Contracts for New Custom House |date=September 1, 1905 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The facade was finished by the following January.<ref name="TL p. 35" />

=== Use by U.S. Customs Service ===

The building's first tenant was a [[United States Post Office Department]] station, which opened on the Bridge Street side of the building's ground floor in July 1906.<ref name="nyt19070911" /> The same year, an additional $465,000 was allocated for the building's completion (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=0.465|start_year=1906|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="tribune19070630" /> By September 1907, the Custom House was ready to open.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 11, 1907 |title=Custom House Opening; New Building to be Dedicated on September 23. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/09/11/archives/custom-house-opening-new-building-to-be-dedicated-on-september-23.html |access-date=April 16, 2020 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The general contractors turned the building over to the federal government on October 1, 1907, after they had completed all major construction.<ref name="The New York Times 1907">{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1907 |title=Contractors Finish New Custom House; The Bowling Green Building Is Formally Turned Over to the Government |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/10/02/archives/contractors-finish-new-custom-house-the-bowling-green-building-is.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p757763353" /> At the time, many of the interior furnishings had not been added,<ref name="TL p. 35" /><ref name="The New York Times 1907" /> and Congress was reluctant to provide additional funds.<ref name="TL p. 35" /> The U.S. Customs Service moved its offices to Bowling Green on November 4, 1907.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 3, 1907 |title=Old Custom House Vacated |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48870085/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404231207/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48870085/old-custom-house-vacated/ |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |work=The New York Times |page=6 |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> With a proposed final cost of $4.5&nbsp;million (approximately ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4.5|start_year=1906|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}), it would be more expensive than any other public building in New York City except for the [[Tweed Courthouse]].<ref name="nyt19060114" />

==== 1900s to 1930s ====
[[File:US Customs House New York of to-day. (1912) (14782617492).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Custom House in 1912|alt=The northern and western facades of the Custom House in 1912]]
Following the Customs Service's relocation to the Custom House, other government agencies with offices in New York City, such as the [[National Weather Service|Weather Bureau]], also moved to the Bowling Green Custom House. By 1908, the Custom House was fully occupied by these other agencies, as the Treasury's chief architect had assigned space to other departments without consulting with the collector.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/01/30/archives/custom-house-full-collector-fowler-finds-that-uncle-sam-is-letting.html |title=Custom House Full; Collector Fowler Finds That Uncle Sam Is Letting in Other Tenants. |date=January 30, 1908 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 18, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The next year, the House of Representatives approved the installation of a [[Pneumatic tube mail in New York City|pneumatic-tube]] system so the post office and custom house could send packages to the appraiser's warehouse.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/02/23/archives/tubes-for-custom-house-pneumatic-system-for-sending-packages-to.html |title=Tubes for Custom House; Pneumatic System for Sending Packages to Appraisers' Offices. |date=February 23, 1909 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A bronze tablet, marking the historical site of a Native American gathering place, was dedicated at the Custom House's main entrance in 1909.<ref name="p572300997">{{cite news |date=September 30, 1909 |title=Mark Historic Spots: Tablets Unveiled Indians Dance on Bowling Green During Custom House Ceremonies |page=3 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|572300997}}}}</ref> Another tablet was dedicated at the Custom House in 1912, marking the site of the first [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] in New York City, which had taken place in 1683.<ref name="nyt-1912-05-26">{{Cite news |date=May 26, 1912 |title=Tablet Where First Mass Was Said Here; It Will Be Unveiled at Custom House on Decoration Day and Accepted by Collector Loeb. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/05/26/archives/tablet-where-first-mass-was-said-here-it-will-be-unveiled-at-custom.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213250/https://www.nytimes.com/1912/05/26/archives/tablet-where-first-mass-was-said-here-it-will-be-unveiled-at-custom.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Consular Bureau opened an office at the Custom House in 1910.<ref name="nyt-1913-12-29">{{Cite news |date=December 29, 1913 |title=New Help to Foreign Trade; Consular Bureau Plan to be Extended to Several Cities. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/12/29/archives/new-help-to-foreign-trade-consular-bureau-plan-to-be-extended-to.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331153345/https://www.nytimes.com/1913/12/29/archives/new-help-to-foreign-trade-consular-bureau-plan-to-be-extended-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A regional tax office, where companies and residents in Manhattan south of [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|23rd Street]] paid taxes,<ref name="nyt-1951-02-05">{{Cite news |date=February 5, 1951 |title=Tax District Extended; More Residents Now Required to File at Custom House |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/02/05/archives/tax-district-extended-more-residents-now-required-to-file-at-custom.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331154540/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/02/05/archives/tax-district-extended-more-residents-now-required-to-file-at-custom.html |url-status=live }}</ref> opened at the Bowling Green Custom House in 1914.<ref name="The New York Times 1956">{{Cite news |date=November 29, 1956 |title=U.S. Taxes Office to Move Monday; 5-Billion-a-Year Branch Is Quitting Custom House for 245 West Houston St. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/29/archives/us-taxes-office-to-move-monday-5billionayear-branch-is-quitting.html |access-date=April 19, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Various other agencies such as the [[United States Life-Saving Service|Life-Saving Service]] and [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] also had offices in the Custom House.<ref name="TL p. 35" /> Following the U.S. entry into [[World War I]] in 1917, "individuals and patriotic societies" objected to the presence of Germany from the Custom House's sculptures, since Germany was one of the [[Central Powers]] against which the United States was fighting.<ref name="nyt-1918-09-01">{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1918 |title=Statue of Germania Stirs New Protests; McAdoo Asked to Remove Representation of Dishonored Nation from Custom House. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/01/archives/statue-of-germania-stirs-new-protests-mcadoo-asked-to-remove.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406232838/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/01/archives/statue-of-germania-stirs-new-protests-mcadoo-asked-to-remove.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Federal officials determined that it was not feasible to remove the ''Germania'' statue, which weighed {{convert|5|ST|LT t}}.<ref name="n122194619">{{Cite news |date=August 15, 1918 |title=Can't Get 'Germania' Off Customs House |pages=12 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122194619/cant-get-germania-off-customs-house/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213244/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122194619/cant-get-germania-off-customs-house/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, in September 1918, Gilbert was directed to remove the German insignia on the entablature's ''Germania'' statue and replace them with Belgian insignia.<ref name="nyt19180913" /><ref name="nyh19180913" /> The U.S. Passport Agency moved to the Custom House building the next year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/07/26/archives/passport-agency-moves-to-custom-house.html |title=Passport Agency Moves to Custom House. |date=July 26, 1919 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 18, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The U.S. government proposed relocating the Customs Service's administrative offices in 1927 to the Appraiser's Stores Building, but shipping companies spoke out against the move.<ref name="nyt-1927-12-17">{{Cite news |date=December 17, 1927 |title=Oppose Removal of Customs Offices; Shipping Interests Tell Federal Agent That Custom House Is Ideal Location |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/17/archives/oppose-removal-of-customs-offices-shipping-interests-tell-federal.html |access-date=March 31, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331153345/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/17/archives/oppose-removal-of-customs-offices-shipping-interests-tell-federal.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A plaque honoring [[Richard Nicolls]], the first colonial governor of the [[Province of New York]], was dedicated at the Custom House in 1931.<ref name="p1114113643">{{cite news |date=June 9, 1931 |title=Nicolls Memorial Tablet Unveiled at Custom House |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1114113643}}}}</ref> Large amounts of dirt had accumulated on the facade over the years, and workers steam-cleaned the facade and refurbished the interior in 1934.<ref name="p1222252497">{{cite news |date=July 24, 1934 |title=$64,000 Cleaning Job On Custom House Starts |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1222252497}}}}</ref>  During the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], in April 1937, collector [[Harry M. Durning]] commissioned Reginald Marsh to paint murals in the main rotunda as part of the [[Treasury Relief Art Project]], with funds and assistance from the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA).<ref name="NYCL pp. 6-7" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/16/archives/murals-approved-for-custom-house-eight-panels-depicting-scenes-of.html |title=Murals Approved for Custom House; Eight Panels Depicting Scenes of Modern Shipping to Adorn Dome of Rotunda |date=April 16, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 18, 2020 |url-status=live |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404011050/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/16/archives/murals-approved-for-custom-house-eight-panels-depicting-scenes-of.html |archive-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref> Marsh accepted the commission for $1,560 ({{inflation|index=US|value=1560|start_year=1937|fmt=eq}}), less than five percent of what he would have normally charged.<ref name="p1243561955">{{cite news |date=August 5, 1937 |title=Marsh Bewails Red Tape As Brake on Mural Work: Artist at Customs House Sees 3 More Months of Labor Artist Does Custom House Murals on Clerk's Pay |page=15 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1243561955}}}}</ref> The ceiling of the rotunda had been undecorated white plaster when the building was erected.<ref name="AB p. 56" /> The installation of the murals was delayed for several months because of what Marsh described as [[red tape]];<ref name="p1243561955" /> the murals were completed by February 1938.<ref name="p1352680376">{{cite news |date=February 13, 1938 |title=The New Marsh Murals in the New York Custom House |page=F4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1352680376}}}}</ref> The [[Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce]] also relocated from the building in late 1937.<ref name="p129736892">{{cite news |date=November 6, 1937 |title=To Move Commerce Dept. Office |page=6 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|129736892}}}}</ref>

==== 1940s to early 1970s ====
U.S. president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] requested in May 1939 that Congress appropriate $190,000 to renovate the Custom House.<ref name="p1247100057">{{cite news |date=May 16, 1939 |title=Asks N. Y. Custom House Repairs |page=2 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1247100057}}}}</ref> Congress approved the appropriation but later reduced it by $90,000.<ref name="The New York Times 1940" /><ref name="p124294397">{{cite news |date=February 6, 1940 |title=Durning Awaits Action On Plea for New Files: Hopes Congress Will Restore $90,000 Cut From Budget Antiquated Filing Used in New York Custom House |page=11 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|124294397}}}}</ref> Durning asked Congress in 1940 to restore the appropriation, saying that "men [were] falling out of ancient chairs, and [...] our valuable records and current papers stacked on desks and improperly filed in decrepit cabinets and bookshelves".<ref name="The New York Times 1940">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/02/05/archives/renovation-urged-for-custom-house-durning-makes-a-desperate-effort.html |title=Renovation Urged for Custom House; Durning Makes a 'Desperate' Effort to Get $190,000 From Congress for Purpose |date=February 5, 1940 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 18, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At the time, the building had 1,865 employees, of which 847 worked for the Customs Service; according to Durning, the New York Custom House handled half of the United States' customs business. The building also housed the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the U.S. Post Office, the Commerce Department, and eight other agencies of the U.S. government.<ref name="p1242985996">{{cite news |date=February 5, 1940 |title=Custom House Would Unsnarl Its Red Tape: Durning Seeks $190,000 to Free Millions of Paper in 150-Year-Old File |page=13A |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1242985996}}}}</ref>

The Custom House's regional tax office began serving additional taxpayers in [[Staten Island]] and [[Midtown Manhattan]] in 1951.<ref name="nyt-1951-02-05" /> The offices of the Taxpayer Assistance Program, which helped residents file their taxes, relocated from the Custom House to [[Lafayette Street]] in 1955;<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 26, 1955 |title=Tax Aid is Shifted From Custom House |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/12/26/archives/tax-aid-is-shifted-from-custom-house.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213248/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/12/26/archives/tax-aid-is-shifted-from-custom-house.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the tax office itself relocated to [[Houston Street]] the next year.<ref name="The New York Times 1956" />  Although the Port of New York remained the United States' busiest port after World War II, it had begun to decline in importance by the 1950s because of several factors. These included increasing cargo-handling and trucking costs; the decline of local railroads; the rapid growth of the [[Southern United States|southern]] and [[southwestern United States]] and the development of ports in these regions; and the opening of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] in Canada, which allowed ships to deliver cargo directly to the [[Upper Midwest]].<ref name="p510401027">{{cite news |last=Kenney |first=Harry C. |date=December 24, 1962 |title=New York Port Takes Inventory: Hard Work Emphasized |page=2 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|510401027}}}}</ref>

As early as 1964, the U.S. Customs Service was considering moving to the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], which was [[Construction of the World Trade Center|under construction]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 10, 1964 |title=Site Tests Begin for Trade Center; Realty Men Say Borings Are Designed to Fool Public |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/10/archives/site-tests-begun-for-trade-center-realty-men-say-borings-are.html |access-date=April 19, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The building's other tenants at the time included the [[United States Coast Guard]], whose Third District Search and Rescue Command was headquartered on the sixth floor.<ref name="n122197459">{{Cite news |last=Nobbe |first=George |date=February 28, 1965 |title=Disaster Is Their Business |pages=153, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122197487/coast-guard/ 154] |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122197459/disaster-is-their-businessgeorge-nobbe/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2692-1251 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406004208/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122197459/disaster-is-their-businessgeorge-nobbe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As a money-saving measure, in 1965, the Custom House began using a computerized system to record ships' arrivals.<ref name="nyt-1965-07-18">{{Cite news |last=Callahan |first=John P. |date=July 18, 1965 |title=Computers Come to Custom House; Machines Used to Compile Data on Vessels in Port |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/07/18/archives/computers-come-to-custom-house-machines-used-to-compile-data-on.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213246/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/07/18/archives/computers-come-to-custom-house-machines-used-to-compile-data-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Public Buildings Service]], an agency of the federal government, conducted a study of the Custom House in 1967, finding that the building needed at least $8 million in renovations.<ref name="n122198676" /> By the early 1970s, the facade was extremely dirty, and the front steps had been shuttered for several years because of security concerns.<ref name="n122198676" />[[File:AH Custom house dusk jeh.JPG|thumb|Seen at dusk in 2008|alt=The northern facade of the Custom House as seen at dusk in 2008]]
The Customs Service leased space at [[Six World Trade Center]] from the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] in 1970.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bamberger |first=Werner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/07/archives/custom-house-to-get-an-18million-home.html |title=Custom House to Get an $18 ‐Million Home |date=June 7, 1970 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322165755/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/07/archives/custom-house-to-get-an-18million-home.html |url-status=live}}</ref> That year, the [[New York City Planning Commission]] considered transferring the site's unused [[air rights]] across the street to 1&nbsp;Broadway, where the [[Walter Kidde Company]] planned to build a 50-story skyscraper. In exchange, the Walter Kidde Company would have been required to help preserve the Custom House.<ref name="nyt-1970-04-09">{{Cite news |last=Burks |first=Edward C. |date=April 9, 1970 |title=Planners Seek to Shift Custom House Air Rights |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/09/archives/planners-seek-to-shift-custom-house-air-rights.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103154006/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/09/archives/planners-seek-to-shift-custom-house-air-rights.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="n122198447">{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=George |date=April 11, 1970 |title=There Are All Kinds of Pollution |pages=53 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122198447/there-are-all-kinds-of-pollutiongeorge/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2574-5298 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405221203/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122198447/there-are-all-kinds-of-pollutiongeorge/ |url-status=live }}</ref> When the Customs Service moved out during 1973,<ref name="nyt-1973-09-04" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=271}}</ref> the building had 1,375 employees, and the land under the building was estimated to be worth between $15&nbsp;million and $20&nbsp;million (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=15|start_year=1973|fmt=c}}–{{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=20|start_year=1973|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="nyt-1973-09-04">{{Cite news |last=Bamberger |first=Werner |date=September 4, 1973 |title=U.S. Prepares to Vacate The 1907 Custom House |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/04/archives/u-s-prepares-to-vacate-the-1907-custom-house.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[General Services Administration]] (GSA) acquired the Bowling Green Custom House after the Customs Service relocated.<ref name="nyt19760701">{{Cite news |last=Wins |first=Molly |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/01/archives/restored-custom-house-glows-for-bicentennial-custom-house-glows-for.html |title=Restored Custom House Glows for Bicentennial |date=July 1, 1976 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Abandonment and restoration proposals ===

==== 1970s plans ====
Several lawyers and businessmen had formed the nonprofit Custom House Institute in late 1973.<ref name="n122198676" /> With assistance from several organizations and the city government's Office of Lower Manhattan Development, the institute raised $40,000 to conduct a feasibility study of the various plans for the Custom House.<ref name="n122198676" /><ref name=":0" /> In March 1974, the institute recommended a proposal by architect [[I. M. Pei]], who suggested converting the upper floors into office space, keeping the second-floor rotunda open, and converting the first floor to commercial use.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Tomasson |first=Robert E. |date=March 17, 1974 |title=A$25‐Million Renovation Of Custom House Studied |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/17/archives/a-25million-renovation-of-custom-house-studied-custom-house.html |access-date=October 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004132137/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/17/archives/a-25million-renovation-of-custom-house-studied-custom-house.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1133">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=1133}}</ref> The next year, the federal government declared the building "surplus" property, making it available to the city government.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/13/archives/us-custom-house-is-declared-surplus-so-city-can-get-it.html |title=U.S. Custom House Is Declared Surplus So City Can Get It |date=March 13, 1975 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Pei's proposal was not carried out, as the GSA found the proposal to be impractical.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1133" /> Instead, the GSA cleaned the facade during the mid-1970s.<ref name="nyt19760701" /><ref name="n122200528">{{Cite news |last=Stathos |first=Harry |date=July 2, 1976 |title=Visitors Declare Old Custom House a Hit |pages=241 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122200528/visitors-declare-old-custom-house-a/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2692-1251 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213243/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122200528/visitors-declare-old-custom-house-a/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1974 on, the Custom House was largely vacant.<ref name="nyt19831111">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=November 11, 1983 |title=After Decade of Abandonment, Custom House Invites Tenants |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/11/nyregion/after-decade-of-abandonment-custom-house-invites-tenants.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524140304/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/11/nyregion/after-decade-of-abandonment-custom-house-invites-tenants.html |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The building's primary occupant was the [[United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York]], which occupied two stories;<ref name="n122197797">{{Cite news |last=Mangaliman |first=Jessie |date=December 15, 1988 |title=Custom House—and Tree—Lighted |pages=24 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122197797/custom-house-and-tree/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2574-5298 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405221201/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122197797/custom-house-and-tree/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Custom House Institute occupied the first floor.<ref name="nyt19760701" /> The other floors remained unused<ref name="nyt19760701" /> and were seldom open to the public except for special events.<ref name="nyt19831111" /> These included the [[United States Bicentennial|bicentennial of the United States]] in 1976,<ref name="nyt19760701" /><ref name="n122200528" /> a summer arts program in 1977,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/25/archives/us-custom-house-will-reopen-on-wednesday-as-an-arts-center.html |title=U.S. Custom House Will Reopen On Wednesday as an Arts Center |date=June 25, 1977 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and another arts exhibition in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/04/archives/custom-house-is-setting-for-a-world-of-new-arts-setting-for-new.html |title=Custom House Is Setting For a World Of New Arts |date=May 4, 1979 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Different parts of the building fell into various states of disrepair. Marsh's ceiling murals and the commissioner's room remained relatively intact, but there was peeling paint in other offices, and weeds were growing from the statues outside.<ref name="nyt19831111" />

The GSA announced a plan in 1977 to convert the building into federal offices for $20 million,<ref name="nyt-1977-11-30">{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=November 30, 1977 |title=About Real Estate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/30/archives/about-real-estate-outlook-for-old-custom-house-vintage-1907-is.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406232840/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/30/archives/about-real-estate-outlook-for-old-custom-house-vintage-1907-is.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but there was no progress for a year.<ref name="nyt-1980-06-01">{{Cite news |last=Huxtable |first=Ada Louise |date=June 1, 1980 |title=Architecture View; An Enlightened Plan for Converting the Custom House |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/01/archives/architecture-view-an-enlightened-plan-for-converting-the-custom.html |access-date=May 2, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502163701/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/01/archives/architecture-view-an-enlightened-plan-for-converting-the-custom.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The agency indicated in January 1979 that it would spend $25&nbsp;million on renovating the Bowling Green Custom House (about ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=25|start_year=1979|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}).<ref name="n122200351">{{Cite news |date=January 11, 1979 |title=Customs House to get clean face |pages=354 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122200351/customs-house-to-get-clean-face/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2692-1251 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405213248/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122200351/customs-house-to-get-clean-face/ |url-status=live }}</ref> U.S. senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]] gave U.S. House representatives a tour of the building to convince them to fund its renovation. In September 1979, in part because of his advocacy, Congress approved $26.5&nbsp;million for the renovation, including the restoration of Marsh's murals.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McNeil |first=Donald G. Jr. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/14/archives/senate-unit-approves-292-million-project-at-old-custom-house.html |title=Senate Unit Approves $29.2 Million Project at Old Custom House |date=September 14, 1979 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p963731961">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|963731961}} |title=Custom House Renovation |date=September 14, 1979 |page=26 |work=Newsday}}</ref> The GSA decided to host a competition for the Custom House's restoration and reuse. The entrance and rotunda were to be refurbished; the upper stories would contain upgraded offices for the federal government, while the lower stories would host a public institution.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /><ref name="nyt-1980-06-01" />

==== 1980s plans ====
A joint venture of [[Marcel Breuer]] Associates, [[James Stewart Polshek]] Associates, Stewart Daniel Hoban and Associates, and Goldman-Sokolow-Copeland was selected in January 1980 to restore the building.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /><ref name="nyt-1980-06-01" /> The joint venture planned to restore the rotunda in a way that would allow the space to be used by a variety of tenants, rather than tailoring it for a specific use.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /> Under this proposal, four {{convert|45|ft|m|-high|adj=mid}} atriums would have been built around the rotunda on the upper floors. In addition, the space beneath the rotunda would have been renovated, and a subway entrance would have been added.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /><ref name="Polshek 1988 p.">{{cite book |last=Polshek |first=James Stewart |title=James Stewart Polshek: Context and Responsibility: Buildings and Projects, 1957–1987 |publisher=Rizzoli |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8478-0876-2 |pages=41–42 |chapter=Notes on My Life and Work}}</ref> This proposal was never carried out because of bureaucratic delays. The federal government contemplated declaring the building surplus property in February 1983, allowing federal officials to sell it to a private owner, but Moynihan intervened and convinced federal officials to keep the building.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /><ref name="Oculus 1983-02">{{cite magazine |last=Lewis |first=George |date=Feb 1983 |title=Custom House |url=https://usmodernist.org/AIANY/AIANY-1983-02.pdf |magazine=Oculus |volume=44 |pages=7 |number=6 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809220549/https://usmodernist.org/AIANY/AIANY-1983-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The GSA opened a [[request for proposal]]s in November 1983, soliciting tenants for {{Convert|77000|ft2||abbr=}} at the Custom House.<ref name="nyt19831111" /> Six plans were presented to [[Manhattan Community Board 1]] in August 1984.<ref name="nyt19840802" /> The GSA gave the most consideration to two plans: one for a [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] museum and the other for a cultural and educational center with an ocean liner museum, restaurants, and theaters.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /><ref name="nyt19840802">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/02/nyregion/plans-for-custom-house-are-presented-to-board.html |title=Plans for Custom House Are Presented to Board |date=August 2, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130102306/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/02/nyregion/plans-for-custom-house-are-presented-to-board.html |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The community board's members were overwhelmingly in favor of the cultural and educational center, while Jewish groups preferred the Holocaust museum.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freedman |first=Samuel G. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/19/arts/2-groups-vying-for-custom-house.html |title=2 Groups Vying for Custom House |date=September 19, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130103303/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/19/arts/2-groups-vying-for-custom-house.html |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Holocaust museum proposal was selected in October 1984,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Joseph |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/18/nyregion/custom-house-will-be-museum-on-holocaust.html |title=Custom House Will Be Museum on Holocaust |date=October 18, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524154529/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/18/nyregion/custom-house-will-be-museum-on-holocaust.html |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p547402956">{{cite news |date=October 18, 1984 |title=U.S. Agency Advances Use of New York Custom House as Holocaust Memorial |page=A5a |work=The Hartford Courant |agency=Associated Press |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|547402956}}}}</ref> prompting objections from preservationists who thought it was "inappropriate" for a Holocaust museum to be located in the Custom House.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oreskes |first=Michael |date=April 5, 1985 |title=Battery Park City Offers Holocaust Museum a Site |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/05/nyregion/battery-park-city-offers-holocaust-museum-a-site.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128062330/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/05/nyregion/battery-park-city-offers-holocaust-museum-a-site.html |archive-date=November 28, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> New York governor [[Mario Cuomo]] proposed an alternate site in nearby [[Battery Park City]] for the museum (later known as the [[Museum of Jewish Heritage]]),<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /> and the museum agreed in 1986 to relocate to Battery Park City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Joseph |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/05/nyregion/holocaust-memorial-to-rise-near-battery-park.html |title=Holocaust Memorial to Rise Near Battery Park |date=September 5, 1986 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203113605/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/05/nyregion/holocaust-memorial-to-rise-near-battery-park.html |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:USA-NYC-National Museum of American Indian0.jpg|thumb|Main entrance, seen in 2013|alt=Main entrance archway of the Custom House as seen in 2013. There is a banner for the Museum of the American Indian in the archway.]]

An $18.3&nbsp;million renovation (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=18.3|start_year=1984|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}) began in August 1984.<ref name="nyt19840802" /> Ehrenkrantz and Eckstut Architects conducted the renovation.<ref name="GSA 2019" /><ref name="nyt19941023">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/23/realestate/postings-museum-american-indian-open-next-sunday-changing-roles-for-once-empty.html |title=Postings: Museum of the American Indian to Open Next Sunday; Changing Roles for a Once-Empty Landmark |date=October 23, 1994 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 14, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526105435/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/23/realestate/postings-museum-american-indian-open-next-sunday-changing-roles-for-once-empty.html |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> They cleaned, restored, and conserved exterior and ceremonial interior spaces. The restoration architects renovated old office space into federal courtrooms and ancillary offices; rental offices and meeting rooms; and a 350-seat auditorium. The building's fire-safety, security, telecommunications, and [[heating, ventilation, and air conditioning]] systems were also upgraded.<ref name="nhlsum" />

=== Museum of the American Indian operation ===

==== Agreement and renovation ====
By early 1987, Moynihan was proposing legislation that would turn over the building to the Museum of the American Indian (later the George Gustav Heye Center).<ref name=":1" /> The museum had outgrown its existing headquarters at [[Audubon Terrace]] in [[Upper Manhattan]], and it was considering either relocating to Texas or merging with the [[American Museum of Natural History]].<ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 271–272">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|pp=271–272}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Molotsky |first=Irvin |date=April 13, 1988 |title=Compromise Is Reached to Keep Indian Museum in New York City |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/13/nyregion/compromise-is-reached-to-keep-indian-museum-in-new-york-city.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525084547/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/13/nyregion/compromise-is-reached-to-keep-indian-museum-in-new-york-city.html |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[American Indian Community House]], which wished to occupy a part of the Custom House, argued against giving the building to the Museum of the American Indian because the museum was run mostly by non-Indians.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/05/nyregion/indians-quarrel-over-custom-house.html |title=Indians Quarrel Over Custom House |date=February 5, 1987 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108171301/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/05/nyregion/indians-quarrel-over-custom-house.html |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, the Museum of the American Indian wished to relocate because its Upper Manhattan facility was insufficient, and the Custom House was being offered as an alternative for the museum's possible relocation to Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/17/nyregion/fast-action-urged-for-indian-museum.html |title=Fast Action Urged for Indian Museum |date=July 17, 1987 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101140153/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/17/nyregion/fast-action-urged-for-indian-museum.html |archive-date=November 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Robert |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49065328/ |title=City losing its Indian museum? |date=July 17, 1940 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |page=139 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>  U.S. Senator [[Daniel Inouye]] introduced the [[National Museum of the American Indian Act]] the next month, which would have brought the collection to Washington, D.C., instead.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Molotsky |first=Irvin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/30/nyregion/inouye-seeks-to-move-indian-museum-to-capital.html |title=Inouye Seeks to Move Indian Museum to Capital |date=September 30, 1987 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |url-status=live |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101114841/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/30/nyregion/inouye-seeks-to-move-indian-museum-to-capital.html |archive-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref>

A compromise was reached in 1988, in which the [[Smithsonian Institution]] would build the [[National Museum of the American Indian]] in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian would also acquire the Heye collection and operate a satellite location of the museum at the Custom House.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49068170/ |title=Compromise would keep Indian Museum in NYC |date=April 13, 1988 |work=White Plains Journal-News |access-date=April 17, 2020 |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The museum would only occupy the lowest floors of the Custom House; the fifth through seventh floors would be reserved for the Bankruptcy Court.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /> City officials and museum officials agreed to this compromise in January 1989,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /><ref name="nyt-1989-01-26">{{Cite news |last=Molotsky |first=Irvin |date=January 26, 1989 |title=Agreement Reached on Indian Museum Shift |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/26/nyregion/agreement-reached-on-indian-museum-shift.html |access-date=May 2, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502170754/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/26/nyregion/agreement-reached-on-indian-museum-shift.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the National Museum of the American Indian Act was passed that November.<ref>{{Cite act|date=November 28, 1989|article=101–185|article-type=Public Law|legislature=101st United States Congress|title=An act to establish the National Museum of the American Indian within the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg1336.pdf|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804151535/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg1336.pdf#page=1|archive-date=August 4, 2019|url-status=live}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg1336.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804151535/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg1336.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> The architecture firm [[Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects|Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Whitelaw]] was hired in May 1990 to renovate the building.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /> The same year, the building was officially renamed after [[Alexander Hamilton]], the first [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]], by act of Congress.<ref>{{Cite act |date=October 24, 1990 |article=101–456 |article-type=Public Law |legislature=101st United States Congress |title=An act to redesignate the Federal building located at 1 Bowling Green in New York, New York, as the 'Alexander Hamilton United States Custom House' |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-Pg1068.pdf |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418120929/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-Pg1068.pdf |url-status=live }} {{Cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-Pg1068.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418120929/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-Pg1068.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49068720/ |title=Custom name |date=October 18, 1990 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |page=45 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The building's renovation included constructing an auditorium on the ground level; converting the cashiers' office into a visitor center; and adding gallery space, two gift shops, a theater, offices, and classrooms.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /> The renovation cost $24 million in total.<ref name="p306700683" />

==== Opening of museum and 21st century ====
The George Gustav Heye Center's space in the Custom House opened for previews in November 1992.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reif |first=Rita |date=November 15, 1992 |title=Museum Displays Indian Artifacts |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/nyregion/museum-displays-indian-artifacts.html |access-date=August 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813160540/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/nyregion/museum-displays-indian-artifacts.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p398384134">{{cite news |last=Gamerman |first=Amy |date=November 17, 1992 |title=Indian Museum Takes Shelter in Beaux-Arts Walkup |page=A16 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398384134}}}}</ref> The galleries to the west, south, and east of the rotunda formally opened on October 30, 1994.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 273">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=273}}</ref><ref name="p307763403">{{cite news |last=Forgey |first=Benjamin |date=October 30, 1994 |title=A New Duty Imposed At the Custom House |page=G04 |work=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|307763403}}}}</ref> At that time, most of the space had been closed for 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunn |first=Ashley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/nyregion/a-heritage-reclaimed-from-old-artifacts-american-indians-shape-a-new-museum.html |title=A Heritage Reclaimed; From Old Artifacts, American Indians Shape a New Museum |date=October 9, 1994 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205045536/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/nyregion/a-heritage-reclaimed-from-old-artifacts-american-indians-shape-a-new-museum.html |archive-date=February 5, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Heye Center was housed in the three lower stories, while the Bankruptcy Court occupied two additional stories.<ref name="nyt19941023" /> One of the Bankruptcy Court's rooms on the fifth floor, known as the Eastern Airlines Room, had been renovated to accommodate bankruptcy hearings for large companies such as [[Eastern Air Lines]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Edmund L. |date=February 3, 1992 |title=Crash-Landing Zone; The Bankruptcy Court for Highfliers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/03/nyregion/crash-landing-zone-the-bankruptcy-court-for-highfliers.html |access-date=August 13, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813160539/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/03/nyregion/crash-landing-zone-the-bankruptcy-court-for-highfliers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The other two stories were vacant and had not been renovated, but the GSA planned to refurbish these stories.<ref name="nyt19941023" />

The museum and building were mostly undamaged by the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, but airborne debris from the [[collapse of the World Trade Center]] had to be cleared from some of the interior spaces.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Quay|Damico|2010|page=265}}</ref> The Heye Center's exhibition and public access areas originally totaled about {{Convert|20000|ft2||abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shenon |first=Philip |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/travel/travel-advisory-correspondent-s-report-a-showcase-for-indian-artifacts.html |title=Travel Advisory: Correspondent's Report; A Showcase for Indian Artifacts |date=August 29, 2004 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |url-status=live |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528062442/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/travel/travel-advisory-correspondent-s-report-a-showcase-for-indian-artifacts.html |archive-date=May 28, 2015}}</ref> The museum expanded into part of the ground floor in 2006.<ref name="nyt20060811" /> The [[National Archives and Records Administration]] (NARA) offices in New York moved to the Custom House in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/national-archives-in-new-york-will-move-to-custom-house/ |title=National Archives in New York to Move to Custom House |last=Lee |first=Felicia R. |date=September 14, 2012 |website=ArtsBeat |language=en-US |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203112225/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/national-archives-in-new-york-will-move-to-custom-house/ |archive-date=December 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p1082375457">{{cite news |last=Alvarez |first=Maria |date=October 5, 2012 |title=New Home for History: Nycs National Archives Records to Be Available at Custom House |work=Newsday |page=A.43 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|1082375457}}}}</ref> After a storm surge flooded the building during [[Hurricane Sandy]] that year, the GSA decided to build a retaining wall around the Custom House.<ref name="Post 2023 y5322" /> In 2023, the federal government allocated $11 million to build the retaining wall using environmentally friendly materials such as low-emission concrete.<ref name="Post 2023 y5322" /><ref name="Roche 2023 i336" /> SuperStructures Engineers + Architects was hired to design the renovation, which would cost $131.3 million and be completed in two phases.<ref name="Post 2023 y5322" />

{{Clear}}

==Impact==

=== Reception ===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 400
| image1            = Alexander Hamilton Custom House Collector's Room ceiling (40511s).jpg
| alt1              = The ceiling of the Collector's Office, with octagonal coffers
| caption1          = Ornate ceiling in the Collector's Office
| image2            = Alexander Hamilton Custom House Collector's Room panels (40521s).jpg
| alt2              = Carvings in wooden wall panels on the walls of the Collector's Office
| caption2          = Carvings in wooden wall panels in the Collector's Office
}}

Gilbert stated that, during the design process, a tall dome was suggested in order to make the building into a "landmark" but that "this would wholly destroy the proportions of the building per se, and as a matter of plan, seriously impair its practical usefulness".<ref name="Inland Architect p. 7" /> Gilbert said a {{Convert|400|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} storage tower would be more appropriate if a "landmark" was necessitated, but he believed such a tower "would add considerably to the cost".<ref name="Inland Architect p. 7" />

From the start, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House was architecturally distinguished from other buildings in the area. ''The New York Times'' said in 1906 that "it is the unity of idea embodied in the new Custom House and enforced by the wealth of sculpture with which it is embellished, more than its mere costliness, that gives to the edifice its unique value".<ref name="nyt19060114" /> A ''Times'' editorial the same year said that, despite the federal government's initial reluctance to decorate the Custom House lavishly, "few recall the money sunk into stone, bricks and mortar; they enjoy the final touches inside on which millions were not squandered".<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/10/07/archives/decorations-for-the-customs-house.html |title=Decorations for the Customs House. |date=October 7, 1906 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 17, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The ''Crockery & Glass Journal'' stated in 1907 that the building's quality was derived from its "proportion, with rich simplicity—the Roman recipe".<ref name="p757763353" /> The same year, [[Charles DeKay]] wrote for ''[[Century (magazine)|Century]]'' magazine that "at least something has been done to blunt the reproof that New York, a city by the sea, great through the ocean and our magnificent waterways, rarely remembers the sources of her wealth and greatness".<ref name=p124791483>{{Cite magazine |id={{ProQuest|124791483}} |title=New York's Artistic Custom-house |magazine=Current Literature |volume=XI |date=Apr 1906 |page=390 }}</ref> ''The Wall Street Journal'' wrote in 1914 that the Custom House "represents the national Government in its economic bases and financial life".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49002905/ |title=New York Real Estate in the Financial District |date=October 10, 1914 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=April 18, 2020 |page=7 |issn=0099-9660 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Acclaim for the building continued in the decades after its completion. Architectural writer [[Henry Hope Reed Jr.]] regarded the Custom House in 1964 as "the finest public building in New York".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/20/archives/art-flourishes-in-old-buildings-turnofcentury-creations-abundant.html |title=Art Flourishes in Old Buildings; Turn‐of‐Century Creations Abundant Downtown |date=April 20, 1964 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404232213/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/20/archives/art-flourishes-in-old-buildings-turnofcentury-creations-abundant.html |url-status=live}}</ref> When the U.S. Customs Service relocated in 1973, [[Ada Louise Huxtable]] wrote that 6 World Trade Center's "functional, featureless grid" contrasted with the "splendor" of the Alexander Hamilton Custom House.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Huxtable |first=Ada Louise |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/04/archives/new-custom-house-modern-functional-no-match-for-the-old-the.html |title=New Custom House: Modern, Functional, No Match for the Old |date=October 4, 1973 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 19, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Architectural writer [[Robert A. M. Stern]] and his co-authors, in the 1983 book ''New York 1900'', said that the Custom House and the [[Ellis Island]] immigration station were the two structures that reinforced New York City's role as "the leading American metropolis, representative of America's role in the world".<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 74" />

After the lower floors were converted into the Heye Center, Benjamin Forgey of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the galleries were "conceived as neutral containers, a sequence of vaulted rooms ingeniously constructed within the old building frame in order not to damage (or indeed even to touch) the original walls".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 273" /><ref name="p307763403" /> A writer for ''[[USA Today]]'' called the building "itself a sight to see".<ref name="p306700683" /> Stern and his co-authors wrote in the 2006 book ''New York 2000'' that the building, which had been one of the Financial District's "most distinguished white elephants", became a "destination spot" once the Heye Center moved in.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 271" /> Several critics wrote about the juxtaposition of the Custom House's classical architecture and the Heye Center's focus on Native American culture, which, according to Stern and his co-authors, was largely characterized as "a culturally and stylistically inconsistent mix".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 273" /> A writer for ''The Wall Street Journal'' believed that the museum clashed with "the Custom House itself, which with its newly cleaned ceiling murals depicting ferries and ships seems a bizarre venue for looking at Indian art".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 272" /><ref name="p398384134" />

=== Landmark designations ===
The Custom House was one of the earliest designations of the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]], becoming an official exterior landmark in October 1965,<ref name="n70453765">{{Cite news |last=Hanson |first=Kitty |date=October 18, 1965 |title=Help! Landmarks Group Issues Civic SOC |pages=474 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70453765/help-landmarks-group-issues-civic/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=2692-1251 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405221201/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70453765/help-landmarks-group-issues-civic/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nyt-1965-10-18">{{Cite news |last=Fowle |first=Farnsworth |date=October 18, 1965 |title=First Official Landmarks of City Designated; 20 Sites Listed—Each to Get Year's Grace |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/first-official-landmarks-of-city-designated-20-sites-listed-each-to.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406232836/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/first-official-landmarks-of-city-designated-20-sites-listed-each-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> six months after the city's landmarks law was signed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/new-york-city-landmarks-law/ |title=New York City Landmarks Law |publisher=The New York Preservation Archive Project |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421004352/http://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/new-york-city-landmarks-law/ |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1965-04-20">{{Cite news |last=Ennis |first=Thomas W. |date=April 20, 1965 |title=Landmarks Bill Signed by Mayor: Wagner Approves It Despite Protests of Realty Men |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/20/archives/landmarks-bill-signed-by-mayor-wagner-approves-it-despite-protests.html |access-date=April 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503225217/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/20/archives/landmarks-bill-signed-by-mayor-wagner-approves-it-despite-protests.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of the exterior designation, the commission said that "At some time in the future this building may be in jeopardy", since the federal government had doubted whether the Custom House should be made a city landmark.<ref name="NYCL-0020" /> The Custom House's interior was also designated as a city landmark in January 1979.<ref name="p963748850">{{cite news |date=January 10, 1979 |title=Yacht Club Fights Landmark Status |page=32Q |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|963748850}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=January 10, 1979 |title=Its Status Is More Than Token: Subway Kiosk Now Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/its-status-is-more-than-token-subway-kiosk-now-landmark-beauxarts.html |access-date=May 15, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515213415/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/its-status-is-more-than-token-subway-kiosk-now-landmark-beauxarts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1972, the designation covering both its exterior and public interior spaces. The structure was also declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1976,<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1248&ResourceType=Building |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605233855/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1248&ResourceType=Building |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |title=United States Custom House (New York) |date=September 13, 2007 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/72000889_text |first=Carolyn |last=Pitts |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: United States Custom House |date=August 1976 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128181822/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/72000889_text |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/72000889_photos|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory: United States Custom House—Accompanying photos, exterior and interior.|date=August 1976|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=April 21, 2022|archive-date=October 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012025358/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/72000889_photos|url-status=live}}</ref> marking it as a site that adds "exceptional value to the nation".<ref>{{cite web|title=Code of Federal Regulations: Parks, Forests, and Public Property|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part65.pdf|page=301|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]|access-date=October 17, 2013|archive-date=October 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018020738/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part65.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the Custom House was added to the [[New York State Register of Historic Places]] in 1980.<ref name="Cultural Resource Information System">{{cite web | title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) | publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] | date=November 7, 2014 | url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | access-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-date=April 4, 2019 | archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20190404141934/https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2007, it was designated as a contributing property to the [[Wall Street Historic District (Manhattan)|Wall Street Historic District]],<ref name="Howe" /> an NRHP district.<ref name="nris_2007">{{cite web |year=2007 |title=National Register of Historic Places 2007 Weekly Lists |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2007-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |access-date=July 20, 2020 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |page=65 |archive-date=December 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228214611/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2007-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Media ===
The U.S. Custom House has been used as a filming location for dozens of movies and TV shows.<ref name="GSA i616">{{cite web |title=Movies and television programs filmed on location at GSA’s historic buildings |url=https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/Movies_and_television_programs_filmed_on_location_in_Region_2.pdf |access-date=December 15, 2024 |publisher=General Services Administration |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211173035/https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/Movies_and_television_programs_filmed_on_location_in_Region_2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Its exterior and lobby were used as a filming location in the 1989 American supernatural comedy film ''[[Ghostbusters II]]'', where the building stood in for the fictional Manhattan Museum of Art.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Eisenberg |first=Adam |title=Ghostbusters II: Ghostbusters Revisited |magazine=[[Cinefex]] |location=United States |issue=40 |date=November 1989 |url=https://cinefex.com/backissues/issue40.htm |access-date=September 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831135218/https://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/gb2_book_cinefex40.pdf |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |url-status=live | pages=26,28 |issn=0198-1056}}</ref> The building has also been used as a filming location for other movies such as ''[[Inside Man]]'' (2006),<ref>{{cite web |last=Rana |first=Raghvendra Singh |date=March 25, 2023 |title=Inside Man (2006): Exploring All Filming Locations of the Movie |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/where-was-inside-man-2006-filmed/ |access-date=December 15, 2024 |website=The Cinemaholic}}</ref> ''[[How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days]]'' (2003), and ''[[Black Swan (film)|Black Swan]]'' <ref name="Hicks r5952">{{cite web |last=Hicks |first=Josh |date=August 23, 2013 |title=The federal buildings of film and television |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2013/08/23/the-federal-buildings-of-film-and-television/ |access-date=December 15, 2024 |website=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In addition, it has been depicted in commercials for [[Citibank]] and [[BMW]].<ref name="GSA i616" />

{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street]]
* [[National Historic Landmarks in New York City]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street]]

==References==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite magazine |year=1900 |title=Cass Gilbert's New York Customhouse Design |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015007566121?urlappend=%3Bseq=27 |journal=The Inland Architect and News Record |volume=35 |pages=6–7 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015007566121?urlappend=%3Bseq=27 |ref={{harvid|Inland Architect|1900}} |via=HathiTrust }}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CRMbAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA98 |title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York |publisher=New York State Legislature |year=1914 |volume=35 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312124701/https://books.google.com/books?id=CRMbAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA98 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |url-status=live |ref={{Harvid|New York State Legislature|1914}} }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sywxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA32-IA89 |title=Government Buildings |magazine=Architecture and Building: A Journal of Investment and Construction |date=February 25, 1888 |page=40 |volume=8 |ref={{harvid|''Architecture and Building''|1888}} }}
* {{cite book |last=Harris |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=meB4Pkqt8DUC&pg=PA269 |title=The New Art History: A Critical Introduction |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-134-58250-1 |page=269 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202339/https://books.google.com/books?id=meB4Pkqt8DUC&pg=PA269 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Hartman |first=William Jay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3mnEtQEACAAJ |title=Politics and Patronage: The New York Custom House, 1852–1902 |publisher=Columbia University |year=1952 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202429/https://books.google.com/books?id=3mnEtQEACAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Lee |first=Antoinette J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hjDZz87NF8AC&q=%22James+Knox+Taylor%22&pg=PA197 |title=Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-512822-2 |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202342/https://books.google.com/books?id=hjDZz87NF8AC&q=%22James+Knox+Taylor%22&pg=PA197 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |author=New York Chamber of Commerce |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sQaGAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Annual Report of the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce, of the State of New York, for the Year ... |publisher=Press of the Chamber of Commerce |year=1889 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202342/https://books.google.com/books?id=sQaGAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA37 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite magazine |title=The New York Custom House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AJ5AAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA51 |journal=Architects' and Builders' Magazine |year=1908 |volume=40 |ref={{harvid| Architects' and Builders' Magazine | 1908}} |number=2 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202456/https://books.google.com/books?id=AJ5AAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA51 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Quay |first1=Sara E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lx7i4YHl_NoC&pg=PA265 |title=September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide |last2=Damico |first2=Amy M. |publisher=Greenwood |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-313-35505-9 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202440/https://books.google.com/books?id=lx7i4YHl_NoC&pg=PA265 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Donald |title=The Architecture of New York City: Histories and Views of Important Structures, Sites, and Symbols |publisher=J. Wiley |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-471-01439-3 |oclc=45730295}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Stern|first1=Robert A. M.|url=https://archive.org/details/newyork2000archi0000ster|url-access=registration|title=New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Bicentennial and the Millennium|date=2006|last2=Fishman|first2=David|last3=Tilove|first3=Jacob|isbn=978-1-58093-177-9|publisher=Monacelli Press|oclc=70267065|ol=22741487M|page=|pages=271–273|ref=}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Stern |first1=Robert A. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/newyork1900metro0000ster |url-access=registration |title=New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism, 1890–1915 |date=1983 |publisher=Rizzoli |last2=Gilmartin |first2=Gregory |last3=Massengale |first3=John Montague |isbn=0-8478-0511-5 |oclc=9829395 |page= |pages= }}
* {{Cite book|last=Stern|first=Robert A. M.|last2=Mellins|first2=Thomas|last3=Fishman|first3=David|url=https://archive.org/details/newyork1960archi0000ster|url-access=registration|title=New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial|date=1995|publisher=Monacelli Press|isbn=1-885254-02-4|oclc=32159240|page=|pages=|ref=}}
* {{cite book |last=Stokes |first=Isaac Newton Phelps |title=[[The Iconography of Manhattan Island|The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498–1909]] |publisher=Robert H. Dodd |year=1915–1928 |author-link=Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes}}
* {{cite book |last1=Swett |first1=Richard N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DnTHVKElGs4C&pg=PA123 |title=Leadership by Design: Creating an Architecture of Trust |last2=Thornton |first2=Colleen M. |publisher=Greenway Communications |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-9755654-0-7 |access-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402202344/https://books.google.com/books?id=DnTHVKElGs4C&pg=PA123 |url-status=live }}
* {{Sfn whitelist|CITEREFTauranac1985}}{{Cite Elegant New York}}
* {{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1022.pdf |title=United States Custom House Interior |date=January 9, 1979 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1979}} |access-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214050246/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1022.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Vowell |first1=Sarah |url=https://archive.org/details/assassinationvac00vowe/page/127 |title=Assassination Vacation |date=2005 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743260039 |url-access=registration }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/explore-historic-buildings/find-a-building/all-historic-buildings/alexander-hamilton-us-custom-house-new-york-ny}} GSA: Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.gsa.historic.newyork.1|name=Years of Grandeur: Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York, NY (2007)}}
* [https://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MNYO28_9&PID=24UPN47LWCB&P=1 "Reginald Marsh's Custom House Murals"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923101908/https://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MNYO28_9&PID=24UPN47LWCB&P=1 |date=September 23, 2020 }}, [[Museum of the City of New York]]

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[[Category:Treasury Relief Art Project]]
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[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
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