{"nrhp_refnum":"70000901","name":"U.S. Customhouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"101 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Norfolk (Independent City)","county":"Norfolk","state":"VA","lat":36.84591444200004,"lon":-76.29239850399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-04-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The United States Customs House at 101 E. Main Street in Norfolk, Virginia, a three-story granite government building designed by Ammi B. Young and completed in 1859.","why_significant":"It is argued to be a major architectural landmark in Norfolk by an architect of national prominence. It is considered the most characteristic and ambitious example of Ammi B. Young's later Palladian-influenced classic style. Its inventive use of stone and cast iron makes it an early example of fireproof construction.","narrative":"Built between 1852 and 1859 at 101 E. Main Street in Norfolk, this granite customs house was designed by Ammi B. Young, a prominent American architect who served as Supervising Architect of the U.S. Government Office of Construction. Congress first appropriated fifty thousand dollars in 1850 because the old customs house was dilapidated and port commerce was expected to grow; the sum later doubled. The three-story building takes the form of a Roman temple, with a pedimented Corinthian portico on the front, Corinthian pilasters on the other sides, and a rusticated base serving as a podium. Cast iron is used for the capitals and for an open-work double staircase at the end of the central hall, and a modular grid of iron columns organizes each level. The building is regarded as an early experiment in fireproof construction and as the finest example of Young's later classical style. It remains largely unaltered and is still used by the federal government.","period_of_significance":"1852-1859","architect_builder":"Ammi B. Young, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Government Office of Construction","architectural_style":"Roman temple form with Roman Corinthian portico; classic style recalling Palladianism","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as surviving in good condition with only minor alterations, mostly on the ground floor; occupied and in government use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.090855-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/33/6821/41682133/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/70000901.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000901/169a944fb3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000901/169a944fb3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PostcardNorfolkVACustomHouseCirca1900.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PostcardNorfolkVACustomHouseCirca1900.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87000475","name":"Downtown Norfolk Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/downtown-norfolk-historic-district-87000475/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682133","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_B._Pickett_United_States_Custom_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7114389"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/norfolk/u-s-customhouse-70000901/"}