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Custom House District
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
National Register of Historic Places

Custom House District

A district of 26 historic buildingsOn the Register since 1973
FederalListed 1973Boston
DirectionsAdd an old photo

Many listed buildings are private homes. Please enjoy them from the street.

About

About the district

Custom House District, at Between J.F.K. Expwy. and Kirby St. and S. Market and High and Batterymarch Sts., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1973. The Register lists it for its commerce, historic - non-aboriginal, architecture and town planning, at the national level. It describes its style as Federal, as it does for 661 other Massachusetts listings. The district takes in 26 historic buildings. The listing covers 15.9 acres. 11 more Register listings are within a quarter mile.

What it isHistoric district in Massachusetts, United States. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 199 MB · National Archives↗
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 10 minutes

Between J.F.K. Expwy. and Kirby St. and S. Market and High and Batterymarch Sts., Boston · about 0.3 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Custom House DistrictStart here
  2. 2Codman BuildingGothic · Built 1873 · 0.1 mi on
  3. 3Second Brazer BuildingBeaux Arts · Built 1897 · next door
  4. 4Old State HouseGeorgian · Built 1713 · next door
  5. 5Ames BuildingRichardsonian Romanesque · Built 1889 · next door
Around it

55 more Register listings within half a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

★Quincy MarketBuilt 18260.1 miBRichardson BlockNeo-Grec · Built 18730.2 miBInternational Trust Company BuildingBeaux Arts · Built 18930.2 miBWinthrop BuildingBeaux Arts0.2 mi★Faneuil HallEarly Georgian · Built 17400.2 miDBoston National Historical ParkDistrict0.2 miDBlackstone Block Historic DistrictGeorgian0.2 miBRussia Wharf BuildingsClassical Revival0.3 miBUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation BuildingArt Deco0.3 miBWigglesworth BuildingVictorian Gothic · Built 18730.3 miBCompton BuildingClassical Revival · Built 19020.3 miBNewspaper RowFrench Second Empire0.3 mi★Old South Meeting HouseEarly Georgian · Built 17290.3 miBOld Corner BookstoreBuilt 18280.3 mi★King's ChapelBuilt 17490.3 mi★Old City HallFrench Second Empire · Built 18620.3 miBSears' Crescent and Sears' BlockFederal0.3 mi★Long Wharf and Custom House BlockWharf, Greek Revival0.3 mi
Show the other 37
★Union Oyster HouseGeorgian · Built 17160.3 miDFulton-Commercial Streets DistrictRenaissance Revival0.3 miDFulton-Commercial Streets Historic District (Boundary Increase)Greek Revival0.3 miBBoston Police Station Number One-Traffic Tunnel Administration BuildingBuilding0.3 miBSouth Station HeadhouseNeo-Classical Revival · Built 18990.4 miDGridley Street Historic DistrictDistrict0.4 miBBedford BuildingRuskinian Gothic · Built 18740.4 miDChurch Green Buildings Historic DistrictSecond Empire0.4 mi★ROSEWAY (schooner)Built 19250.4 miBFilene's Department StoreBeaux Arts Commercial · Built 19110.4 miBParker HouseBuilding0.4 miBI.J. Fox BuildingBuilt 19350.4 miBPublicity BuildingPier and Spandrel Commercial · Built 19160.4 miDPark Street DistrictFederal0.4 mi★Boston AthenaeumPalladian · Built 18070.4 miBBoston Transit Commission BuildingClassical Revival · Built 19030.4 miBJohn Adams CourthouseVictorian · Built 18850.4 miBJohn F. Kennedy Federal BuildingBuilding0.4 miBUnited State Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal BuildingArt Deco · Built 19330.4 mi★Paul Revere HouseBuilt 16800.4 mi★Pierce-Hichborn HouseBuilt 17110.4 miBMariner's HouseGreek Revival · Built 18470.4 miBBigelow SchoolClassical Revival · Built 19010.5 miDTextile DistrictClassical Revival0.5 miDWashington Street Theatre DistrictItalianate0.5 miBBlake and Amory BuildingBuilding0.5 miDWest Street DistrictCommercial Style0.5 miDTemple Place Historic DistrictGreek Revival0.5 miBLocke-Ober RestaurantVictorian · Built 18320.5 miBR. H. Stearns HouseBeaux Arts · Built 19090.5 mi★St. Paul's ChurchGreek Revival · Built 18190.5 mi★Tremont Street SubwayStructure0.5 mi★Chester Harding HouseFederal · Built 18090.5 mi★Massachusetts StatehouseFederal · Built 17980.5 miBUnion WharfBuilding0.5 miBVermont BuildingBeaux Arts · Built 19040.5 miBSt. Stephen's ChurchFederal · Built 18040.5 mi
More like it

Federal style, nearby

Other National Register listings within 25 miles described as Federal.

Blackstone Block Historic District0.2 mi away
Sears' Crescent and Sears' Block0.3 mi away
Park Street District0.4 mi away
Chester Harding HouseBuilt 1809 · 0.5 mi away

Memories of Custom House District

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

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Questions about Custom House District

Is Custom House District on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on May 11, 1973 (Register number 73000321).

Is Custom House District a National Historic Landmark?

No. It is on the National Register; Massachusetts has 189 National Historic Landmarks. The nearest is Quincy Market, 0.1 miles away.

Can you visit Custom House District?

Our record doesn’t say whether it is open to visitors. Many listed buildings are private, so it may only be seen from the street.

Where can I read the history of Custom House District?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 199 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 63796818 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.