The beautiful iconic Boston landmark, the Custom House together with the recently added Custom House Tower can now be found 500 feet away from the river banks, but when it was being constructed from 1837 to 1847, the building was located exactly on the waterfront at a strategic venue in the middle of the docks and the commercial and government district revolving around State Street. The blueprint of the granite structure was made by the American architect Ammi Burnham Young who designed a traditional Greek temple replete with grand Doric columns and a pediment installed on all its sides. A skylight in the Custom House?s majestic dome allows sunlight to enter into the rotunda which occupies a central place in the building.

In 1913, an unexpected additional feature was appended on top of the classical Greek structure which shocked a lot of Boston residents ? the Custom House Tower. The tall structure was conceptualized by Peabody and Stearns and stood at 496 feet when it was finished in 1915. Back then, Boston imposed a height limit for buildings at 125 feet, so the Custom House Tower was way over the limit, however the limit was ignored because the structure was federally owned. The Custom House Tower was the highest building in Boston when it was finished and is arguably one of the first skyscrapers ever erected in the city.

The design of the Custom House Tower is somewhat similar to the equally beautiful Metlife Tower in New York City which was finished two years earlier. Expertly crafted Ionic columns adorn the upper floors while its foundation is bare or has very minimal decoration. The tower is also embellished with ornamental horizontal moldings called cornice where eagle statues stand mightily on its corners. The tower also features a familiar four-sided clock that is lighted at night. Finally, the tower is capped by an elaborate pyramid.

Initially, the addition of the Custom House Tower did not gain much support from the residents as the city?s pioneering skyscraper. However, its importance in the city?s urban landscaping heritage made it an emblematic city attraction. It still is a famous building in the Boston skyline despite the boom of skyscrapers in the city.

The custom department deserted the Custom House in 1986 in favor of a more contemporary headquarters and the building remained unoccupied occupied until 1999 when it was made into a hotel ? the Marriot?s Custom House Hotel. A small naval museum can now be visited in the building?s grand rotunda. In 1973, the Boston Custom House was added to the National Register of Historic Places.