{"nrhp_refnum":"70000747","name":"Old Galveston Customhouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE corner 20th and Post Office (Ave. E) Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.305330740000045,"lon":-94.78988971299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-08-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late Greek Revival two-story brick building at the southeast corner of 20th and Post Office Streets in Galveston, Texas, built 1858-61 to plans by Ammi B. Young as a federal custom house.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it architecturally distinguished for its fine scale and proportion and its nearly all cast-iron detailing. It is also historically important because Galveston was the leading seaport and commercial city in Texas in the 19th century. Its designer, Ammi B. Young, was the first supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, and its contractors were notable figures.","narrative":"Built between 1858 and 1861 at the southeast corner of 20th and Post Office Streets in Galveston, this two-story brick building was designed as a federal custom house in the late Greek Revival style. It is a rectangular structure with a projecting double gallery on the west and inset double galleries on the north and south sides. Nearly all of its detail is cast iron, including columns, cornices, balustrades, dentils, entablatures and window architraves. The pieces follow the original architect's drawings and were cast in New York and shipped to Galveston. Ionic columns rise on the first story and Corinthian capitals on the second. Ammi B. Young, the first supervising architect of the Treasury Department's office of construction, produced the plans. Charles B. Cluskey and E.W. Moore served as contractors. Galveston was the leading seaport and commercial city in Texas in the 1800s, and most imported goods entered the state through it. At listing the building held post office space, offices and a federal courtroom.","period_of_significance":"1858-61 (19th Century)","architect_builder":"Ammi B. Young, architect of the original plans; Charles B. Cluskey and E.W. Moore, contractors","architectural_style":"Late Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and noted as altered; the Post Office occupied the western half of the ground floor, offices the east half, and the Federal Courtroom the upper eastern half.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.553668-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/6/9720/40972006/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/70000747.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000747/e11e45e08d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000747/e11e45e08d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Nsaum75","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1861_Galveston_Customs_and_Courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nsaum75</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1861_Galveston_Customs_and_Courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972006","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Customs_House_and_Court_House_(Galveston,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7889719"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/old-galveston-customhouse-70000747/"}