The Portland daily press., 1867-10-24
Custom House and p .t oa,ee su i.si,

The work upon the buildings now going up
in this city for Custom House and Post
Office and us. Court House has proceeded
with graft rapidity so far as the foundations,
for both of them, are concerned hA tA
The Custom Honse is on the site of the old
one on Fore street, but much enlarged The
lot extends from Fore to Commercial streets,
and from Pearl to Custom House street. The
building is to be 1870 feet long by 6s wide, and
will, in addition to the rooms for the Customs
Officers, contain rooms for the internal revenue
officers. 4
There will be two fronts, one en- Commercial
street and ono on Fore street 1t will be two
stories high on Fore street and three stories on
Commercial street, and each front will be sur
mounted with a handsome cupola or dome.
It has been great and difficult job to exca-
vate for the foundation wall But it has been
done, and after going down from % to 81 feet
ledge has been struck all round the building.
| On this ledge the foundation has been laid on
the Commercial street end and on the sides -
Inc foundation walls are composed of blocks
OF granite laid in cement and are five feet in
| thickness. a considerable portion of the par
tition walls are also laid, for which excavation
was also made to the ledge; these walls are
from four to seven feet in thickness The mp
per, or Fore street wall, is not fully laid, it be-
ing necessary to blast the ledge for the area
1tisintended, if possible, to have the founda-
ton and partition walls fully completed by the
| first Of December sgss asao V znoie2th
This building is to be OF Concord granite, all
dressed. The Commercial street front of the
basement story, and the whole superstructure
are under contract TO Mr.. e. c. Sargent, Of
Boston, who has gangs of hands at work pre-
pairing the granite. For the two sides and the
Fore street front, Mr.. Kingsbury, the Superin-
tendent, has purchased the granite at Concord.
1t is sent here and workmen are engaged in
preparing it. Some good stonecutters can find
constant employment here throughout the
winter and spring. "a li'ans,i s-4i ialia itAh
The Superintendent expects to have the
walls Of the building up and covered next year.
The building will be surrounded by streets
on all sides, and will be one of the most beau
tiful and substantial edifices of the kind i'm the
country. .....r,s.. Ia, ....,,..s
The Post Office is to be about the same size
as the old one, and on the same lot 1t is 1O7
feet long and go feet wide, with portco on the
Middle street front projecting twelve feet, sup
| ported by Jour marble columns of the Corinth-
ian order. The building is to be of Middle
bury, Vermont marble, dressed, and it is pro-
nounced the. handsomest and best marble in
the country, fully equal to most of che italian.
II is to be three stories high. The lower or
ground floor will be occupied by the Post
Office; the second story for the United States
Courts and their officers. The Court room will
run up from the second floor to the ceiling of
the roof making spacious and beautiful room
Is feet 6 inches high. There will be offices in
the third story, at each end of the building, for
| jury rooms, sc. a,..-i vi ~, ,,f fle.ss 4
| The whole foundation OF this building is al
ready laid, and it is about three and a half feet
in thickness, built of blocks of granite laid in
cement. It's about being covered over for
the season, and is in readiness for the marble
work, which will be proceeded with as soon as
| the Spring opens The marble is all being
prepared at Middlebury, and will be sent along
as fast as finished and dressed, and stored here
until wanted in the Spring. The whole super
structure is to be erected next year. iafa
This building will be splendid one. From
the portico on Middle street a crowd can be adj
dressed, as formally from the Elk change, which
was on that spot. We think, when erected,
that our city can boast of as handsome build
ings for Custom House and Post Office as can
be found in the whole Union. 2i-ilie g -
The superintendent of these buildings has
been entrusted to faithful and energetic hands
Henry Kngsbury, Esq, of Kennebunk is the
Superintendent. 1t was the general opinion,
and was so statsd when he commenced the de-
moltion OF the old Custom House and the old
Post Office, that it would occupy all this year
to take down these buildings. And they rather
doubted Mr.. Kingsbury's word when he said
he would have them down by the first of Sep
TENDER. But he has done it, and not only that
but has got, or will get the Foundation walls all
laid before the year is out, and another year
will show the buildings in all their beauty,
though it will take some time longer to finish
the interiors. faa asual IS fssogs6 gisl sol