The building housing the National Museum of the American Indian was originally designed for a much different purpose than to contain a museum. It was built as the Alexander Hamilton Custom House in 1902 and completed in 1907. Before the instatement of the income tax in 1916, customs duties were the largest source of revenue for the federal government.[1] Because New York was a major port city, customs duties were an important function of the city’s government. Realizing the need for more space for Customs functions, Congress authorized the construction of a new Custom House to replace the old one at 55 Wall Street, which was “Inadequate, with poor lighting and ventilation”.[2] Subsequently, in 1899 the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury held a national contest for the best design for a Customs building to be constructed facing Bowling Green.[3]
Bowling Green is significant in that it was the area around which New York was founded when the Dutch settlers in the 18th century built a fort on the site to protect themselves from the Native Americans, and later the British. The building itself was first built in 1790 to serve as a home for the US president. When the capital was moved to Philadelphia, the building became the NY Governors’ house of residence. Between 1799 and 1815, it served as the Custom House before being sold to a developer who tore down the building and built a series of elegant row houses for the City’s upper class. When elegant neighborhoods moved uptown, away from the shipping companies downtown, the buildings were converted into offices.[4]
The winning architectural design for the new Custom’s House was submitted by the well-known architect, Cass Gilbert. (Cass later gained famed for his design of the Woolworth building, the world’s tallest building when it opened in 1913.) Much significance was tied to the look and feel of the House because it would have to reflect the power and presence of the federal government as well as the importance of the US Customs Service. It would also allude to the nature of the activity that would be taking place within its walls; the collection of revenue amounted by New York’s imports as a maritime trade center. The exterior of the building is covered with allusions to commerce and trade. Each of the four statues lining the front of the building, facing Bowling Green, represents one of four continents: Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. These serve as a monument to the world’s history (and success) in trade and navigation. Other symbols, such as Mercury, Roman god of commerce, and twelve statues representing the sea powers, cover the exterior.[5]
In 1936, in the depths of the Great Depression, Reginald Marsh was commissioned by the government to paint a series of murals in the House’s rotunda. This was a part of the Treasury Relief Art Project, which offered work to artists during the Depression, and was one of the Public Works projects established by Roosevelt to invest in the country.[6] The murals were a two-series project; one series depicts famous American Explorers, while the other shows the arrival of a ship into New York’s harbor.
Customs moved out of the building on Bowling Green in 1973. This coincided with the planned construction of the World Trade Center. The incentive for this move was to have all Customs port activities contained in one building for convenience.[7]
As a result of this move, the House was empty and unused for almost a decade. Fortunately for us, in 1979, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan saved the building from demolition and appropriated money for the restoration of the building to its original grandeur. Once more a competition was held for the building; this time for its restoration and re-use, and by the US General Services Administration. After much restoration, the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York moved into the building in 1987 from the Foley Square US Courthouse. Shortly following this, in 1994, the George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution moved into the first and second floors of the building. [8]
The Alexander Hamilton Custom House has changed in appearance and use over the past century. But all of its activity has revolved around the spirit that makes New York the exceptional city it is and always has been. The inner rotunda, for example, still one of the largest public spaces in New York, used to serve as a ceremonial area for New York’s vital bureaucratic Customs activities.[9] Today, it is an entrance chamber for the National Museum of the American Indian. According to Cheyenne member W. Richard West, this museum perfectly embodies New York’s tradition not only as a center for the exchange of money and commerce, but as a “place for the exchange of ideas among peoples”.[10] We can only hope that just as trade helped strengthen New York as a powerful city in the 19th and 20th centuries, the idea of New York as a place for ideas and learning about our neighbors and history can build New York as a center for the advancement of peace and prosperity for all.
[1] National Museum of the American Indian Visitor Information. <http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=ny&third=architecture> October 30, 2010.
[2] Saba, Anne. “History of the US Customs Service at the Port of New York.” Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, New York City. <http://www.oldnycustomhouse.gov/history/default.asp> October 30, 2010.
[3] National Museum of the American Indian Visitor Information.
[4] “The US Custom House.” United States Bankruptcy Court. <http://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/history/> October 30, 2010.
[5] National Museum of the American Indian Visitor Information.
[6] Saba.
[7] “The US Custom House.”
[8] Saba.
[9] “The US Custom House.”
[10] National Museum of the American Indian Visitor Information.
