United States Custom House, Portland
The United States Custom House is basically Portland鈥檚 granite love letter to maritime trade. Built between 1867 and 1872, it rose from the ashes of the Great Fire with one clear mission: keep the booming harbor in check and the customs business running like clockwork.
Crafted from rugged New Hampshire granite and topped with a slate roof tough enough to laugh at sparks, the Custom House was fireproof by design鈥攁 cautious nod to the inferno of 1866. Its I-shaped layout and three sturdy stories give it the kind of presence that says, 鈥渂usiness first, beauty second鈥濃�攖hough it manages to pull off both with ease.
The style is part Renaissance Revival, part Second Empire, and all confidence. Two square towers capped with slightly sloping roofs crown the building like a pair of granite crowns, flanked by Corinthian pilasters that add a touch of theatrical drama. Venetian-style arched windows soften the heavy granite walls, each topped by its own shallow pediment, like architectural eyebrows raised just high enough to impress.
But the Custom House is more than an elegant fa莽ade鈥攊t鈥檚 a symbol. This was the gatekeeper of Portland鈥檚 economy, where the Atlantic world funneled into ledgers, tariffs, and fortunes. Today, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it鈥檚 still one of the city鈥檚 sharpest dressers. Granite, symmetry, and just enough French swagger鈥攊t鈥檚 ready to collect tariffs, throw a party, or simply remind you that Portland鈥檚 pride was once measured in tall ship masts.
Crafted from rugged New Hampshire granite and topped with a slate roof tough enough to laugh at sparks, the Custom House was fireproof by design鈥攁 cautious nod to the inferno of 1866. Its I-shaped layout and three sturdy stories give it the kind of presence that says, 鈥渂usiness first, beauty second鈥濃�攖hough it manages to pull off both with ease.
The style is part Renaissance Revival, part Second Empire, and all confidence. Two square towers capped with slightly sloping roofs crown the building like a pair of granite crowns, flanked by Corinthian pilasters that add a touch of theatrical drama. Venetian-style arched windows soften the heavy granite walls, each topped by its own shallow pediment, like architectural eyebrows raised just high enough to impress.
But the Custom House is more than an elegant fa莽ade鈥攊t鈥檚 a symbol. This was the gatekeeper of Portland鈥檚 economy, where the Atlantic world funneled into ledgers, tariffs, and fortunes. Today, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it鈥檚 still one of the city鈥檚 sharpest dressers. Granite, symmetry, and just enough French swagger鈥攊t鈥檚 ready to collect tariffs, throw a party, or simply remind you that Portland鈥檚 pride was once measured in tall ship masts.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Portland. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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United States Custom House on Map
Sight Name: United States Custom House
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Portland, Maine
Create Your Own Walk in Portland
Creating your own self-guided walk in Portland is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Portland Maine Introduction Walking Tour
If New York is the city that never sleeps, Portland, Maine, is the city that daydreams with an ocean breeze. Jutting out into Casco Bay, this coastal gem balances big-city energy with the easygoing warmth of a neighborhood you鈥檝e known your whole life.
Long before lobster shacks and artisan coffee shops, the Algonquian people (populous indigenous American group) called this land... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Long before lobster shacks and artisan coffee shops, the Algonquian people (populous indigenous American group) called this land... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Historical Buildings Walking Tour
Portland, Maine may be small, but it packs centuries of history into its streets. Think of it as a living scrapbook鈥攕ome pages sing in stone, others whisper in brick, and all of them survived the city鈥檚 Great Fire of 1866, which could鈥檝e erased it all. Instead, Portland rebuilt in style, and today you can wander its historic core spotting everything from colonial leftovers to Victorian... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles