The U.S. Custom House - New Orleans, LA
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N 29° 57.105 W 090° 03.992
15R E 783125 N 3317059
The U.S. Custom House, also known as the Old Post Office and Custom House, is a historic government building at 423 Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Waymark Code: WM12DK2
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/05/2020
Views: 1
Excerpt from the New Orleans City Guide 1938: "Custom House. The Custom House, occupying the block bounded by Decatur, Iberville, North Peters, and Canal Sts., stands on what in earlier days was the levee of the river. -- Henry Clay was present at the laying of the cornerstone in 1849. A"T" Wood was the architect and General P"G"T" Beauregard the technical supervisor. -- It was built of Quincy granite on a brick base at a cost of $5,000,000. Four center columns are rather highly decorative, while four columns at each end of the building are severely flat, with only half of their surfaces in bas-relief. In order to decrease the weight of the building, the Egyptian cornice was redesigned and recast in iron; the cupula has never been added, for the same reason."
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The U.S. Custom House was designated a National Historic Landmark, receiving this designation in 1974 and noted for its Egyptian Revival columns. Construction on the building, designed to house multiple federal offices and store goods, began in 1848 and didn't finish until 1881 due to redesigns and the American Civil War. The U.S. Customs offices have been located there since the late 19th century.
In 2008, it became home to the Audubon Insectarium, the largest free-standing American museum dedicated to insects.
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