by M. Sigmund Shapiro
April 16, 2003
When I was a lad, as W. S. Gilbert once said, I used to attend
board meetings of the New York Customs Brokers’ Association (now the
NCBFAA) that were normally held at Fraunces Tavern on Pearl Street.
The restaurant was a stone’s throw from the Custom House on Bowling
Green, so I sometimes had occasion to visit there, since it handled
many functions for Customs headquarters in D.C., along with the
daily paper shuffling required to clear imports and exports.
When the World Trade Center was completed, Customs moved in, and
the Custom House languished in disrepair. Pat Moynihan saved it from
demolition, and ultimately created a Native American museum, after
extensive and very authentic renovation. It is a fascinating
exhibit.
As trade and automation expanded, Customs day-to-day operations
moved to JFK Airport and the New Jersey seaports, leaving the Trade
Center as a "back office" operation that did not deal with the
public on a daily basis.
The horrors of 9/11 virtually destroyed Customs facilities in the
Trade Center.
Just recently, Customs announced that they will move some
functions back into the Bowling Green building, including interface
with the trading public.
Can lunch in Fraunces Tavern be far behind?
