Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House
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U.S. Customhouse
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U.S. Customhouse, ca. 1900
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| Location | 101 E. Main St., Norfolk, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 36°50′45″N 76°17′34″W / 36.84583°N 76.29278°WCoordinates: 36°50′45″N 76°17′34″W / 36.84583°N 76.29278°W |
| Area | 9.9 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1852 |
| Architect | Young, Ammi B. |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000901 |
| VLR # | 122-0032 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 17, 1970 |
| Designated VLR | December 2, 1969 |
The Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House is a historic custom house building located at Norfolk, Virginia
Located near the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, the Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House is a testimony to the importance of commerce and trade in the city. The activities of the Norfolk Customs Service, one of the inaugural Customs offices in the nation, were initially located in various rented quarters until an official U.S. Custom House was completed in 1819.
As early as 1850 plans were developed to replace the first U.S. Custom House with a larger building that could also be used to accommodate the main U.S. Post Office. The history of Norfolk's present U.S. Custom House began when the U.S. Congress authorized funds for the construction of the building in 1850. A prominent site in downtown Norfolk at Main and Granby Streets was purchased in 1852 for $13,500. Supervising Architect of the Treasury Ammi B. Young (1798–1874) produced a design based on precepts of classical Roman architecture. Historians of the period anticipated that when completed, the U.S. Custom House "was to be one of the most imposing and showy buildings in the city." Construction began in 1853 with John H. Sale serving as construction superintendent for the U.S. Treasury Department. The Post Office moved into its new quarters in 1857, though the building was only partially finished. The cost of the building upon completion in 1858 was reported to have reached $204,000, almost twice the original estimate.
With the exception of a brief period of Confederate occupation (April 1861 to May 1862), this building has housed the U.S. Customs Service for over 135 years. The impressive Roman Temple form and the continued presence of the Customs Service in this building are constant reminders of the city's long and vital history in the pursuit of world trade.
In 1970 the U.S. Custom House in Norfolk was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001, the building received a Norfolk Design Award and was renamed in honor of U.S. Representative Owen B. Pickett of Virginia.
The Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House is one of the last examples of a federal building using the Roman temple form. Monumental in scale, the rectangular block stands three stories in height. It is constructed of granite from Blue Hill, Maine, rusticated at the ground floor with smooth ashlar on the upper two floors.
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