A History of the Old Spanish Custom House
Dated as early as 1780 in the West Indies style, the historic Old Spanish Custom House on Bayou St. John is among the few oldest surviving residences from the Spanish Colonial period. The two story house has a double gallery across the front with the original stone and brick lower floors and cypress upper floors. Believed to have been built by Don Jacques Lloriens, the structure is two rooms wide with cabinets on either side of the double rear gallery. Five exceptional cement-over-brick Doric columns grace the lower front with turned bypress colonnettes and wooden balustrades above. Four transomed double doors open onto the gallery. The double pitched roof, characteristic of the early French Colonial Period, is covered in slate, trimmed with ridge caps and copper gutters. The roof is pierced by two dormers lighting the attic space and a single chimney that serves three fireplaces. Exposed rafters and ceiling joists are distinctive of early French and Spanish construction. The attic reveals Norman trusses that support the roof similar to the construction of the Cabildo. Windows and doors are authentic with poured glass panes. Three carriage lanterns, exterior gallery steps, original iron hardware and louvered shutters reflect its two centuries.
The Custom House did not serve as such, but was so named for the building materials used in its construction from the old Spanish Custom House that once stood where the present U.S. Customs building now stands at Canal Street at Decatur. The house is typical of its era with two large lower rooms, a salon and dining room, and two upper rooms used as bedrooms. The rear gallery has been enclosed and a large, spacious sun room with 20' ceilings was built onto the rear of the house in the late 1940's. Surrounding windows and doors bathe the room in sunlight. An interior balcony and two twelve foot tall Spanish wrought iron double doors open into the room. The building is in excellent condition, well built and strong. >>Continue to page 2.
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