Also known as: Old Customs House Built: 1836-1838 Designed by: John Ostell Renovated: 1881-1882 Type: Monument Stories: 2 Location: 150 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest, Montréal, Canada
W hen Montreal was a young port city, this was its hub. The Customs House was the first major building erected by the British in this part of the New World. Its design is similar to that of a bank, and for similar reasons. It is intended to convey a sense of strength and permanence. This time, it's not faith in the banking institution, but in Queen and country. Four two-story columns are topped by a pediment and flanked by single-rank wings. Humble by today's standards, it was magnificent in its day -- a time when timber was a far more common building material than stone. Today, the Customs House is part of the Montreal Museum of Archaeology.
The style of this building has been described as everything from "neo-Gothic" to "Palladian."
1871 - The Customs Service moves out.
1992 - The building becomes part of the Montreal Museum of Archaeology.
New York, United States
