United States Customhouse - Nashville, Tennessee
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 36° 09.543 W 086° 46.888
16S E 519656 N 4001611
Historic former federal building now mixed use building in Nashville, Tennessee.
Waymark Code: WMGM4R
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 03/18/2013
Views: 4
The UNITED STATES CUSTOMHOUSE, Broadway and 7th Ave. S., is of pointed Gothic style. The basement is of granite and the superstructure is faced with cream colored limestone. The three-story building is surmounted by a Gothic tower, which extends 190 feet above the sidewalk. The entrance facade is ornamented with devices symbolizing the progress of the United States. It was designed by William A. Potter, goverment architect. Begun in 1875, the building was completed in 1881. The interior is arranged for the Federal courts, customs offices, and other government offices. - Tennessee: A Guide to the State, Nashville section , pg. 195.
After serving as a federal courthouse and other government offices for nearly 100 years the building was declared excess in the mid-1970s. Through preservation efforts by the City of Nashville the building was transferred to city ownership in 1979. Beginning in 1982 the initial renovation and restoration project was done to convert the building in to government and commercial office space. In 1994 another restoration project was undertaken to restore and expand court facilities for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and U.S. Trustee Department. The building now has major tenants of Federal courts and related offices, plus many smaller tenants from law firms, the IRS, telecommunications firms, public relations firms and other companies.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.