Military / Government

Owner:

GSA - United States Government

Design:

Waggonner & Ball Architects

Size:

400,000 square feet

Budget:

$36,000,000

Completion:

October 2009

United States Custom House

Located on the edge of the French Quarter, The United States Custom House is one of the most important buildings in the City of New Orleans and one of its key pieces of architecture. Originally commissioned by the Federal Government, the US Custom House was originally designed and constructed over a period of many years in the mid 1800’s. Over later years, renovations were done which compromised the integrity of the original architecture. Beginning in 1978, all renovations have included efforts to restore the building to its original design and historical significance.
Of special note in the building is what is known as the Marble Hall. This room on the second floor is actually 95 × 125 feet with a ceiling height of 54 feet. As quoted in the 1940 History of the Custom House by Stanly C. Arthur, “In point of area and height or in interior decoration the Marble Hall is not surpassed by any public building in the United States”.
Conditions post Katrina found the building in a severe state of disrepair and completely vacant for the first time in 150 years, the opportunity arose to not only repair the damage but also implement historic restorations along with technology and system upgrades. Woodward Design+Build was chosen due to their expertise with historic restoration and ability to handle a job of this scale. The scope of work included restoration of the Marble Hall, repairs throughout the building with extensive repairs to the upper floors, upgrades to the mechanical, plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems, restoration of the plaster walls and many features that were covered up by later renovations, repair and restoration of numerous skylights, an extensive recapture of volume and space, and repairs to sections of roofing.