Combining Form and Function
Until today, I had never been in a customs house. Today, we visited the National Museum of The American Indian and that changed. I knew that the building built in 1907 was a beautiful one from the outside as I’ve passed by it many times, but had no idea what I would see when I went in. While the exhibits we saw today were beautifully done and either worked around the historic architecture or covered it up completely to create modern-looking rooms, the rotunda caught my eye. I immediately saw the large ovular desk that curved around the center of the space with the small desks around its interior.
I walked up to it to see that not only had they kept the clerk desks intact, but they had also created an exhibit of sorts on the desks themselves using text panels and images. The panels discussed everything from the history of the National Archives housed upstairs to the variety of archival materials housed there including photographs and drawings related to the sinking of the Titanic. Seating was provided in the center and the space was really one where one could rest and discuss the surrounding exhibits.
Wanting to know more, I asked a front desk staff member what she knew about the rotunda and desk in particular. She explained that when you arrived in New York and had your list of goods, you would go up to the custom clerks who would tell you how much you owed. She clearly saw my enthusiasm for the preservation of this piece of history and said that if the desk interested me, I probably would want to check out the gift shop. I walked in and found the old cashier room complete with original metal dividers for the cashier’s cages, original chandeliers, and the original vault used by the cashiers. I spoke with today’s knowledgeable cashier, Jake, who explained that after manifests were approved by the clerks in the rotunda, they could come to pay their customs in this space. Even though trinkets, textiles, and jewelry surrounded and hung on the solid brass cages, their previous function was clear and immensely beautiful. He also told me that the city was going to tear down the building about thirty years ago but someone was able to find funding to keep it open after it had been left empty for years. It would have been a great shame to lose this piece of city and architectural history. I loved how the “old” was used for the “new.” It wasn’t seen as in the way, but worthy of preservation and even as a way to present museum content and items for sale. If only I could have gotten the employee discount.
