Customs House, Knoxville
Encyclopedia
The Old Customs House, also called the Old Post Office, is a historic building located at the corner of Clinch Avenue and Market Street in Knoxville, Tennessee
, USA. Completed in 1874, it was the city's first federal building. It housed the federal courts, excise offices and post office until 1933. From 1936 to 1976, it was used by the Tennessee Valley Authority
for offices. Expanded in 2004, the building is currently home to the East Tennessee History Center, which includes the Lawson McGhee Library's Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, the Knox County Archives, and the East Tennessee Historical Society
's headquarters and museum. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
for its architectural significance.
. The smooth exterior walls contrast with rusticated quoins at the building's corners. The former courtroom on the third floor is notable for its neoclassical detailing. Much of the original interior has been altered.
's 1795 extension of Knoxville. An 1871 map of Knoxville shows the property as an open grove surrounded by a few small houses.
Throughout the 1850s, Congress
was petitioned by cities across the country to provide courtrooms and post offices. Congress was reluctant to provide funding for buildings that only contained judicial and postal functions, so the title "Customs House" was typically used instead of "courthouse" or "post office." Congress was viewed as more agreeable to providing construction funding if excise taxes collected from foreign imports were linked to projects, since taxes generated revenue.
Congress originally appropriated funding for Knoxville's Customs House in 1856, and reappropriated the funding in 1869. Construction of the original portion of the Customs House (at the corner of Clinch and Market), designed by U.S. government chief architect Alfred B. Mullett
(1834–1890), began in 1871 and was completed in 1874. The first floor was used as a post office, while the second and third floors were used for the federal court and as office space for various federal officials, namely postal inspectors, pension agents, court officials, and internal-revenue officers.
As Knoxville's population quadrupled in the late 19th century, the increased postal activity left the Customs House critically overcrowded, and thus the building was enlarged in 1910. A 1913 government document describes the building as "clean and well kept," with a "large and roomy" workroom for postal employees. The document stated that the building had its own steam plant for heating, and used electricity provided by the Knoxville Railway & Light Company.
Knoxville's continued growth rendered the Customs House insufficient for the city's postal needs, and a new post office was built on Main Street in 1934
. Ownership of the Customs House was transferred to the newly-created Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA) for use as office space. Along with the Customs House, TVA maintained offices in the nearby Arnstein Building and in the Daylight Building
on Union Avenue. Following the completion of the TVA Towers in 1976, ownership of the Customs House was transferred to Knox County for use by the Lawson McGhee Library's Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives.
In the 1980s, the East Tennessee Historical Society
(ETHS), which had been using the McClung Collection's office equipment and staff, moved into the Customs House, and set up the East Tennessee Historical Center. The Society initially used the second floor of the Customs House, but moved to the first floor in 1992. The Society opened the Museum of East Tennessee History the following year. In 2004, a BarberMcMurry
-designed eastern extension to the Customs House was completed, extending the structure the length of Clinch Avenue from Market to Gay Street. This new complex, known as the East Tennessee History Center, includes the ETHS's headquarters, the Museum of East Tennessee History, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives. The Old Customs House is depicted in the ETHS logo.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, USA. Completed in 1874, it was the city's first federal building. It housed the federal courts, excise offices and post office until 1933. From 1936 to 1976, it was used by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
for offices. Expanded in 2004, the building is currently home to the East Tennessee History Center, which includes the Lawson McGhee Library's Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, the Knox County Archives, and the East Tennessee Historical Society
East Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society , headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee...
's headquarters and museum. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
for its architectural significance.
Design
The Old Customs House is a three-story Italianate style building sheathed in East Tennessee marbleTennessee marble
Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found primarily in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been used in the construction of numerous notable...
. The smooth exterior walls contrast with rusticated quoins at the building's corners. The former courtroom on the third floor is notable for its neoclassical detailing. Much of the original interior has been altered.
History
The Customs House is situated on what was originally Lot 11 of James WhiteJames White (general)
James White was an American pioneer and soldier who founded Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1790s. Born in Rowan County, North Carolina, White served as a captain in the county's militia during the American Revolutionary War...
's 1795 extension of Knoxville. An 1871 map of Knoxville shows the property as an open grove surrounded by a few small houses.
Throughout the 1850s, Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
was petitioned by cities across the country to provide courtrooms and post offices. Congress was reluctant to provide funding for buildings that only contained judicial and postal functions, so the title "Customs House" was typically used instead of "courthouse" or "post office." Congress was viewed as more agreeable to providing construction funding if excise taxes collected from foreign imports were linked to projects, since taxes generated revenue.
Congress originally appropriated funding for Knoxville's Customs House in 1856, and reappropriated the funding in 1869. Construction of the original portion of the Customs House (at the corner of Clinch and Market), designed by U.S. government chief architect Alfred B. Mullett
Alfred B. Mullett
Alfred Bult Mullett was an American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings...
(1834–1890), began in 1871 and was completed in 1874. The first floor was used as a post office, while the second and third floors were used for the federal court and as office space for various federal officials, namely postal inspectors, pension agents, court officials, and internal-revenue officers.
As Knoxville's population quadrupled in the late 19th century, the increased postal activity left the Customs House critically overcrowded, and thus the building was enlarged in 1910. A 1913 government document describes the building as "clean and well kept," with a "large and roomy" workroom for postal employees. The document stated that the building had its own steam plant for heating, and used electricity provided by the Knoxville Railway & Light Company.
Knoxville's continued growth rendered the Customs House insufficient for the city's postal needs, and a new post office was built on Main Street in 1934
United States Post Office and Courthouse (Knoxville, Tennessee)
The United States Post Office and Courthouse, commonly called the Knoxville Post Office, is a federal building located at 501 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Constructed in the early 1930s for use as a post office and federal courthouse, the building contains numerous Art Deco and...
. Ownership of the Customs House was transferred to the newly-created Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA) for use as office space. Along with the Customs House, TVA maintained offices in the nearby Arnstein Building and in the Daylight Building
Daylight Building (Knoxville, Tennessee)
The Daylight Building or Daylight Block on Union Avenue in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is an office and commercial building, completed in 1927, that served for many years as offices for the Tennessee Valley Authority...
on Union Avenue. Following the completion of the TVA Towers in 1976, ownership of the Customs House was transferred to Knox County for use by the Lawson McGhee Library's Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives.
In the 1980s, the East Tennessee Historical Society
East Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society , headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee...
(ETHS), which had been using the McClung Collection's office equipment and staff, moved into the Customs House, and set up the East Tennessee Historical Center. The Society initially used the second floor of the Customs House, but moved to the first floor in 1992. The Society opened the Museum of East Tennessee History the following year. In 2004, a BarberMcMurry
BarberMcMurry
BarberMcMurry, formerly Barber & McMurry, is an architecture firm based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1915 by Charles Irving Barber and Benjamin Franklin McMurry, Sr...
-designed eastern extension to the Customs House was completed, extending the structure the length of Clinch Avenue from Market to Gay Street. This new complex, known as the East Tennessee History Center, includes the ETHS's headquarters, the Museum of East Tennessee History, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives. The Old Customs House is depicted in the ETHS logo.
See also
- Fidelity Building (Knoxville)Fidelity Building (Knoxville)The Fidelity Building is an office building in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Initially constructed in 1871 for the wholesale firm Cowan, McClung and Company, the building was home to Fidelity-Bankers Trust Company during the mid-twentieth century, and has since been renovated for use as office space...
- Greystone (Knoxville)
- Knox County Courthouse (Tennessee)
- Old City Hall (Knoxville)
Sources
- Isenhour, Judith Clayton. Knoxville - A Pictorial History. (Donning, 1978), pages 122-124.
- Knoxville: Fifty Landmarks. (Knoxville: The Knoxville Heritage Committee of the Junior League of Knoxville, 1976), page 11.
External links
- East Tennessee Historical Society
- MPC Silver Award Photos
- Custom House under construction, circa 1872 – photograph on file at the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection
- Custom House interior, circa 1894 – photograph on file at the Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection