{"nrhp_refnum":"75000239","name":"U.S. Customshouse","other_names":["Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Cobbs Hill, MA 6A","address_restricted":false,"city":"Barnstable","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.700281844000074,"lon":-70.29873483599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, hip-roofed red brick customs house on Cobbs Hill along Main Street (Route 6A) in Barnstable, Massachusetts, built in 1855-56 and now the Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its architectural merit and its role in nineteenth-century Cape Cod shipping as seat of the Seventh Customs District. It was the first \"fireproof\" building on Cape Cod, and its heavy Italian style, massing and materials contrasted with the area's wood-frame buildings. Its architect is uncertain, but Ammi B. Young is considered most likely.","narrative":"Built in 1855-56 on Cobbs Hill in Barnstable, this red brick building served as the customs house for the Seventh Customs District, which covered Barnstable County except Falmouth. It has two stories, a hipped roof, a high granite foundation, round-arched windows with cast iron hood moldings, and a bracketed cast iron balcony over the entrance. Inside, cast iron columns with Corinthian capitals and a broad cast iron staircase survive. It was the first fireproof building on Cape Cod, and its Italian style stood apart from the region's wood-frame architecture. The architect is not firmly documented; Ammi B. Young of the Treasury Department is considered the likeliest designer. The district ranked fourth in Massachusetts, and shipping receipts declined after the Civil War until the district joined Boston's in 1913. The Post Office used the building until 1958, and in 1960 it became the Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum, which shows maritime exhibits and eighteenth and nineteenth century artifacts.","period_of_significance":"1855-56","architect_builder":"Attributed to Ammi B. Young, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury (not definitively established; local sources name Alfred B. Mullett)","architectural_style":"Italian style; Renaissance Revival, North Italian mode","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the Town of Barnstable and used as the Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum since 1960, with exhibits on Barnstable's maritime history; condition listed as good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.651353-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/7939/63793974/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/75000239.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000239/2bc865fd76-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000239/2bc865fd76-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Customshouse_Barnstable_MA_2014.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Customshouse_Barnstable_MA_2014.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87000314","name":"Old King's Highway Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/old-kings-highway-historic-district-87000314/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793974","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Customshouse_(Barnstable,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7889722"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/u-s-customshouse-75000239/"}