200 East Bay Street

200 East Bay Street

c. 1956-1957

11/21/2016 (date digital)

U.S. Custom House

Back of photograph: "(c) Henry P. Staats / U.S. Custom House / Chas. S.C. / Circa 1850 / 200 East Bay St." 200 East Bay Street or the United States Custom House is one of the the only major municipal buildings in the National Classical Revial style in the city. This style is comparable to many of the well-known edifices in Washington D.C. that were built during the same period. Congress held a competition to find an architect to design a space for the site when it was acquired by them in 1847. The resulting building was designed by popular federal architect , Boston native Ammi B. Young. He is best known for his work on the U.S. treasury, however he designed many federal buildings and other custom houses including Boston's, Norfolk's, and Galveston's. The supervising architect was locally recognized architect Edward Brickell White. Ground was broken in 1849 and continued until the Civil War when funds ceased, picking back up again in 1867, and being finally completed in 1879. It took 19 acts of Congress and $3 million dollars to get the U.S. Custom House completed, quite a bit higher than the intended $370,000. Perhaps it was not such a bad thing then that the dome and additionally four porticoes did not make it on the facade of the structure. The marble cruciform building with its simple front and back porticoes their elegant grand staircases, supported by Corinthian columns without the dome roof has its own elegance as it is. the interior of the Custom House is equally striking. Despite its impressive facade and its commanding presence along the skyline the Custom House did fall into the demolition crosshairs in the 1950s. However, the building did survive, and it still houses federal offices today, as well as events throughout the year. References: National Park Service (n.d.) United States Custom House. Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/charleston/usc.htm Poston, J. (1997). The buildings of Charleston: A guide to the city’s architecture. Columbia, University of South Carolina Press. South Carolina Department of History and Archives (n.d.). National Register Properties in South Carolina. United States Custom House, Charleston County (200 E. Bay St., Charleston). Retrieved from: http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/S10817710086/index.htm

visible image 12 x 12 cm

Donated to CLS by Henry P. Staats.

This item is in copyright but can be used for educational purposes. Please contact Charleston Library Society for more information for any use not qualifying as educational use.

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Hinson Audio/Visual Collection

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