The first U.S. Customhouse at New Orleans by Benjamin H.B. Latrobe. Conjectural drawing by Samuel Wilson Jr.
Video capture, Samuel Wilson Jr., Dean of Architectural Preservation in New Orleans, A Coleman Gorin Production.

The first Customhouse was built 1807-1809 and designed by Benjamin H.B. Latrobe in the Greek Revival form, the first structure of that style in the City. It was also the first structure to introduce the American red-brick exterior which would become common. Unfortunately the structure failed before completion. Failure was due, in large measure, to Latrobe's rejection of the use of logs in the foundation, as was then the general practice in New Orleans. The use of soft local brick, with Philadelphia brick only as a facing, was contrary to the specifications and added to the failure of the building (Wilson 1951, xiv). Despite these difficulties the Customhouse was an imperative of the growing status of the Port of New Orleans. The City still has a remarkable and useful inheritance as part of its large historical and architectural inventory.