The Old Custom House - Cairo, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 37° 00.168 W 089° 10.318
16S E 306741 N 4097388
This building has been a post office, custom house, courthouse, police station and now a museum.
Waymark Code: WMZHV6
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 11/16/2018
Views: 0
County of museum: Alexander County
Location of museum: 1400 Washington Ave. (US 51), Cairo
Building built: 1872
Museum phone: 618-734-9632
Architect: Alfred B. Mullet
Architectual Style: Italianate
"The Old Custom House at Cairo originally housed postal facilities, Government offices, and court. These functions seem to have been segregated on each of its three floors from bottom to top ion the order given. The original use of the basement is not known.
"The building is built of stone (probably on a brick core) and is cast in a Monumental Palazzo or Commercial Italianate style as its round-headed windows and bracketed cornice testify. The highly unusual half-story projecting above the main cornice on the northwest and southeast sides is the result, as noted, of having placed the courtroom there.
"Its Italianate style is also rare among government buildings, the Second Empire being the style most often encountered. The building is an excellent design both as regards its artistic effects and its functional characteristics. ... " ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"In the meantime, Cairo continued to grow due to the high river traffic. In fact, there was so much river traffic that the Federal Government designated Cairo as a Port of Delivery and began to make plans to build a United States Customs House. The building was designed by Alfred Mullett, who also designed the San Francisco Mint, the US Treasury Building, and old State Department building in Washington, D.C.
"Opened in 1872, the building also held a U.S. Post Office on the first floor, which became third in importance in the nation at that time because of its mail connections to and from the emerging West. The second floor housed various government agencies, and a Federal courtroom was on the third floor. Called the “Old Custom House” today, it continues to stand as a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at 1400 Washington Avenue." ~ Legends of America
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