Old Customhouse (Monterey, California)

Old Customhouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
The Old Monterey Customhouse
Location:	Calle Principal, Monterey, California
Coordinates:	36°35′53″N 121°53′31″W / 36.59806°N 121.89194°W / 36.59806; -121.89194Coordinates: 36°35′53″N 121°53′31″W / 36.59806°N 121.89194°W / 36.59806; -121.89194
Built:	1827
Architect:	Thomas O. Larkin
Architectural style:	Spanish Colonial Adobe
Governing body:	State
NRHP Reference#:	66000217[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL:	December 19, 1960[2]

The Old Customhouse is an Spanish Colonial style adobe structure built around 1827^[3] by the Mexican government in the Pueblo de Monterey, Alta California, in present day Monterey County in the U.S. state of California. ^[4] The Customhouse is the state's first designated California Historical Landmark.

History

In 1821 New Spain—Mexico won independence from Spain, in the Mexican War of Independence, and for nearly 25 years Monterey was in the Mexican Territory of Alta California. Under Mexican rule the trade restrictions were lifted and coastal ports were opened to foreign trade. This drew in trade from British, American, and South American traders.

To collect customs duties (tax monies) at the Monterey Bay port, the Mexican government built the Customhouse, making it the oldest government building in present day California. On July 7, 1846, during the Mexican-American war, Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American Flag, declaring California part of the United States.

The Old Customhouse,
in Monterey, California

Landmark

The Monterey Customs House was a landmark that the Native Sons of the Golden West determined should not disappear if within their power to prevent it. The property belonged to the United States Government, but the Native Sons of the Golden West obtained a lease of the buildings and grounds and restored them in the early 1900s.^[5] The lease was ultimately transferred to a State Commission appointed under a legislative act passed in 1901 which act also carried an appropriation for further restoration of the building. The Mexican Customhouse was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It is part of the larger Monterey State Historic Park, itself a National Historic Landmark District along with the nearby Larkin House.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monterey County, California
• California hide trade
  • Ranchos of California
  • List of Ranchos of California - Monterey County

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ NHL Summary
3. ^ NHP Red Book^{[dead link]}
4. ^ HL Writeup^{[dead link]}
5. ^ http://www.mchsmuseum.com/customhouse.html

External links

• Official Customhouse website
• official Monterey State Historic Park website
• Monterey State Historic Park: Path of History walking tour