Old Customhouse
Why it's listed
Built between 1869 and 1872 at a cost of $184,000, this stone federal building at Washington and Fifteenth Streets in Cairo, Illinois, once held a post office, customs offices and a courtroom, arranged on three floors in that order. Alfred B. Mullett, U.S. Supervising Architect from 1865 to 1880, designed it in a monumental Italianate manner, with round-headed windows and a bracketed cornice. A tall courtroom on the top floor, fitted with a marble fireplace, brass chandeliers, walnut woodwork and Corinthian pilasters, raises a half-story above the main cornice. A caged elevator in the stairwell appears to date from construction, making it an early elevator building. Local tradition had set the first floor at levee height, but Mullett ordered stone courses removed to bring it down to grade. After a new post office opened in 1942, the building passed to the city and now serves as police headquarters. It is valued as a rare surviving custom house and a reminder of Mississippi Valley river commerce.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the very few remaining federal custom houses, designed by Alfred B. Mullett, one of the best-known government architects of the 19th century. Its Italianate style is rare among government buildings, and its design is praised for artistic effect and functional plan. An apparently original passenger elevator makes it a very early elevator building. It is also one of the largest monumental 19th-century government buildings in the mid-Mississippi Valley, linked to the era of river commerce.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73000689, listed July 24, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Washington and 15th St., Cairo |
|---|---|
| County | Alexander County |
| Listed | July 24, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000689 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869-72 (19th Century) |
| Architect / builder | Alfred B. Mullett, U.S. Supervising Architect |
| Architectural style | Monumental palazzo or commercial Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Cairo and serves as police headquarters; condition listed as fair and altered. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Cairo Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.00311, -89.17092 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73000689.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15263764
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.