*Everything written in this post is explained to the best of my knowledge and from what I heard (and remember) from our tour. Some information may be false and otherwise untrue.*
At the Corner of Fore St. and Pearl St. resides the beautiful Custom House that’s been closed to the public since 2001. Now used as an office space for some Federal employees, The Custom House stands in the middle of Downtown Portland serving as a beautiful landmark in Maine’s history.
Some days it’s opened to the public for tours guided by a Federal employee himself. If you happen to walk by during the week, you can always ring the door bell located on the outside of the front door. If he’s there, he will let you inside – but shh, you didn’t hear it from me!
Walking into this beautiful mansion, I was in awe of the ornate details throughout. The center of the building was decorated with marble both on the floor and on the counter tops. A beautiful clock tower stood in the middle of the room which used to serve as a place for visitor’s to fill out paperwork with quills dipped in ink. Gas chandeliers used to hang from above, and now have been replaced with functional, modern chandeliers to light up the room.
On the base of the counters you will see black trim. This is a replica of the same material found throughout Radio City Music Hall. Walking behind the counters you can see that they are supported by brick and undone in the back. This is because visitors would never see behind them so they didn’t feel a need to make it look as ornate and spectacular as the rest of the building. This holds true for the top deck of the room. No one would go up here, so the floors were left undone. The only people that would usually see these places were the 2 security guards that would constantly walk around the center of the building here keeping an eye on both the visitors and employees. You can never be too careful.
In another room, there is a 2 story safe where the money and treasures would be kept. Fun fact: There are hidden doors throughout this building and one of the hidden doors is on the other side of the safe to trick people that may have wanted to rob the place – or it could have just been decoration.
Up above the entrance to the main center room you will find hanging a symbolic piece of art on the wall. Each symbol stood for something that reflected what the Custom House was for. T for Treasury and the staff of Hermes/Mercury showing the wings and serpents. Mercury was the god of shopkeepers and merchants, which I suppose was fitting for some place that collected money and fees. You can find many symbols like these throughout the building including the stairwell.
On all of the doors you can find ornate door handles (unless if they have been taken by past employees). Each door has a hidden key hole which some have said looks like the goddess of security, Securitas. Our tour guide showed us the skeleton key which can still be used throughout most of the building.
After our tour of the inside, we exited out a side door and into an alley way that separates the Custom House from the dungeon. This dungeon once held prisoners and then was converted to storing coal. When you walk inside, you can tell the walls and floors are covered in black soot and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. Now you can see it’s used as storage for things like snowblowers and tools.
To learn more, I highly suggest you take a tour of this beautiful historical landmark in Portland, Maine to learn about it’s rich history and architecture. Click here: http://www.portlandlandmarks.org/us-custom-house
Thank you to our tour guide of Portland Landmarks and the opportunity given to us by The Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful partnered with Visit Portland.
