Custom House District

Custom House District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Custom House Tower (1915), constructed atop the 1849 Boston Custom House
Location	Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°21′28″N 71°3′12″W / 42.35778°N 71.05333°WCoordinates: 42°21′28″N 71°3′12″W / 42.35778°N 71.05333°W
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Skyscraper, Art Deco, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP Reference #	73000321 [1]
Added to NRHP	May 11, 1973

Custom House District is a historic district in Boston, Massachusetts located between the Fitzgerald Expressway (now Purchase St. / the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway) and Kilby Street and South Market and High and Batterymarch Streets. Named after the 1849 Boston Custom House located on State Street, the historic district contains about seventy buildings on nearly sixteen acres in Downtown Boston, consisting of 19th century mercantile buildings along with many early 20th century skyscrapers, including the 1915 Custom House Tower.^[2]

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[1]

Additionally, the area contains numerous non-contributing newer office buildings.

Contributing properties (partial listing)

• Appleton Building (1900), 4 Liberty Square
• Batterymarch Building (1928), 54-68 Batterymarch Street ; designated a Boston Landmark in 1995.
• Board of Trade Building (1901), 2-22 Broad Street
• Boston Custom House (1849) and Custom House Tower (1915), McKinley Square
• Broad Exchange Building (1903), 88 Broad Street
• Broad Street Association warehouses (c. 1805), 5-9, 63-73, 64-70, 72 & 102 Broad Street; 171-175 Milk Street
• Central Wharf warehouses (1816), 146-176 Milk Street
• Chase and Sanborn warehouse (1901), 141-149 Broad Street
• Cunard Building (1901), 122-130 State Street^[3]
• Employees Liability Building (1904), 33 Broad Street
• Exchange Club Building (1893), 22 Batterymarch Street
• Farlow Building (1895), 92 State Street^[4]
• Fidelity Building (1915), 144-148 State Street
• Flour and Grain Exchange Building, aka Boston Chamber of Commerce (1892), 177 Milk Street
• India Building (1903), 74-84 State Street^[5]
• Insurance Exchange Building (1923), 24-44 Broad Street
• King Building (1894), 120-122 Milk Street
• James Codman Building (1873), 44-48 Kilby Street
• John Foster Warehouse (c. 1860), 109-133 Broad Street
• Marshall Building (1910), 15-19 Broad Street
• Pepperell Building (1921), 160 State Street^[6]
• Rice Drystuffs Company Building (1872), 295 Franklin Street
• Richards Building, aka Shaw Building (1867), 112-116 State Street^[7]
• State Street Block (1857), 177-199 State Street
• Telegraph Building (1903), 100-110 State Street^[8]
• William Henderson Boardman Warehouse, aka Howe & French Building (c. 1857), 97-107 Broad Street

Non-contributing properties (partial listing)

• 75 State Street (1988)^[9]
• Folio Boston, 88 Broad Street (2005)^[10]
• 20 Custom House Street (1988)^[11]
• 21 Custom House Street (1989)^[12]
• Market Place Center (1985)^[13]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts
• Long Wharf and Customhouse Block
• Financial District, Boston

References

• 1973 application to the US National Park Service

1. National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Custom House District
3. Cunard Building
4. Farlow Building
5. India Building
6. 160 State Street, Boston
7. Richards Building
8. 100 State Street
9. 75 State Street
10. Folio Boston
11. 20 Custom House Street
12. 21 Custom House Street
13. Market Place Center