Customs House

Located at 701 Broadway, the old Nashville Customs House is a historic landmark and architectural beauty. Construction on the Customs House began in 1875 and President Rutherford B. Hayes visited Nashville [1] to lay the cornerstone in 1877.

The building is an impressive example of the Victorian Gothic style. It was designed by Treasury architect William Appleton Potter and was completed in 1916. Although it is called a customs house, the building served as the center of federal government operations in the city: Federal government offices, courts, and treasury offices were housed in the building. For many years it held the city’s U.S. Post Office.

Ownership transferred from the federal to the city government in 1979 and the building was later leased for redevelopment. It currently houses federal bankruptcy court and other offices.