Architectural Building In Alexander Hamilton Custom House

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Alexander Hamilton Custom House
Completed in the early 20th century, New York City boasts of a well-built beaux-arts architectural building in Alexander Hamilton Custom House. This seven-story steel framed building was constructed by the federal government of the United States and opened in the year 1907, celebrating its 100th anniversary later in 2007 (Brown, 179). Ranked among the most significant buildings of the past in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) national inventory, the building was constructed to house customs collected in the port of New York. This Custom House in its heyday was a busy place for brokers as well as customs agents who worked together to build the wealth of the United States. However, although its fortunes decreased in the early 1970’s as the government relocated the customs service to the World Trade Center, this building remains an important structure in New York City. Additionally, the building was also renovated to give a new future to this monumental edifice including housing a museum. Thus, despite witnessing a decline in its fortunes, Alexander Hamilton US Custom House is still significant to the people of New York.
New Amsterdam was seized by the British and renamed New York City in 1664. The population of the city in the 18th Century grew fast to include a more diverse population including people from France, England, Netherlands, and Germany. In the 20th century, the city welcomed new immigrants from Asia, African, Latin American, and the Caribbean. Additionally, when other American cities were struggling to recover from the World War II, New York City was not exempted. The city needed to suburbs, highways, and offices to continue with its operations and developed plan (Mohibullah and Lund, 209). One of the most prominent buildings of that era is the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House. New York City and the surrounding was the hub of port business which was doing well and it was important to establish a building to house the collected customs from the New York Port.
Cass Gilbert was conducted to design the Custom House. Gilbert designed an immense edifice with a lot of space, 450,000 square feet floor space. This Custom House is different to most other custom houses. Its entrance faced the city, away from the port/sea. During the time of construction, before New York City’s landfill, it was immediately adjacent to the New York Port and up Broadway. The designer, Gilbert needed the viewers’ first glimpse of the US not to be the government building, though splendid, but the sweep up of Broadway to give them a view of the beautiful building and the city. Additionally, the myriad offices had to house 1,000 workers who were put into groups along corridors that lead off the Central Rotunda (Spencer, n.p). The cashier’s office was located to the left of the entrance, where importers as well as ships’ officers paid their tariffs as set the officials within the same building. The wood-paneled Collector’s Office was located to the right, where official business by the Collector of Customs tool place.
The building was designed and constructed in a detailed way. Gilbert showed legendary attention to detail...