{"nrhp_refnum":"74001363","name":"Federal Building and Courthouse","other_names":["Custom House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N. Water between Market and Princess St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilmington","county":"New Hanover County","state":"NC","lat":34.235439384000074,"lon":-77.94971785799999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story neo-classical stone federal building, originally the Custom House, Appraisers Store and Court House, on North Water Street between Market and Princess Streets in Wilmington, North Carolina. Completed in 1919.","why_significant":"The building reflects Wilmington's economic development as a port city on the Cape Fear River and was called \"the pride of the city\" in 1919. It stands on the site of earlier custom houses. Its projecting wings reproduce the front facade of the 1840s Norris-designed custom house, including the cast iron details.","narrative":"Overlooking the Cape Fear River on North Water Street, this three-story stone building in Wilmington was completed in 1919 as a custom house, appraisers' store and courthouse. Its neo-classical design has a central mass with balanced projecting wings that have pedimented porticos, a rusticated first floor, columns and pilasters on the upper stories, and a balustraded roofline. Cast iron balustrades with eagle motifs decorate the French doors. The site had held earlier custom houses since about 1819. An 1840s Greek Revival building by New York architect John Norris was demolished in 1914-1915 to make room for the present structure. The cornerstone was laid in 1916, and World War I delayed completion until 1919. The wings repeat the front facade of the Norris building, including its cast iron details. The interior plan has changed little, though most details have been altered. Federal courts, the Corps of Engineers and other agencies now occupy the building, which reflects Wilmington's development as a port.","period_of_significance":"20th Century (completed 1919)","architect_builder":"James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect (named on the 1916 cornerstone); the earlier 1840s custom house was designed by John Norris","architectural_style":"Neo-classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition and altered; occupied by the United States Courts, the Corps of Engineers and other agencies. Custom services are no longer housed there.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:58.320442-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7215/47721528/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/74001363.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001363/8b69c257bf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001363/8b69c257bf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Federal_Building_and_Courthouse_(Wilmington,_NC)_3.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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:Federal_Building_and_Courthouse_(Wilmington,_NC)_3.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"74001364","name":"Wilmington Historic and Archeological District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/wilmington-historic-and-archeological-district-74001364/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721528","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Lennon_Federal_Building_and_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19460182"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/new-hanover-county/federal-building-and-courthouse-74001363/"}