U.S. Customhouse, San Francisco
historic place
The U.S. Customhouse in San Francisco, California, is a significant historic place. The United States Customs Service, established in 1789, collected duties and taxes on imported goods. By the early 1900s, San Francisco's expanding port required a larger customhouse. In 1905, the St. Louis architectural firm Eames & Young won a national competition to design the new building. They designed it in the Beaux Arts Classicism style. Ground was broken for construction on January 28, 1906. Just three months later, the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire occurred. The disaster caused severe labor and material shortages, delaying the building's completion. Construction was finally finished in 1911. The U.S. Customhouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. After the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, seismic upgrades were completed in 1997. This granite-faced building continues to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection, representing a continuous federal presence on the West Coast.