The Old Customs House is an abandoned historic structure on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok’s Bang Rak District. It was designed in neoclassical style by the Italian architect Joachim Grassi and completed in 1888.
The Old Customs House is an abandoned historic structure on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok’s Bang Rak District. It was erected in 1888 and designed in neoclassical style by the Italian architect Joachim Grassi, who lived in Siam for many years and was responsible for the construction of numerous structures in Bangkok.
The Old Customs House Bangkok had two wings that took up the most of the property. The building façade was designed to complement the environment, with arched windows flanked by lower rectangular openings ornamented with porticos and pediments. The building’s body was made of bricks that were plastered and whitewashed, while the stairs, floors, ceilings, and windows were made of teak wood. The columns were converted into pilasters to create the illusion of a supporting column as well as an extension of the wall for aesthetic purposes.
Before closing its doors, the Old Customs House enjoyed a few decades of existence. In 1949, the custom house was relocated to Khlong Toey, and the structure was converted into the Bang Rak Fire Station, which served for 60 years before being relocated to a new location.
The Treasury Department awarded a 30-year contract to Natural Park, a developer, to rebuild Customs House and maintain it as a luxury hotel in 2005. Unfortunately, no construction has occurred in the 10 years afterwards, owing to challenges in transferring the prior residents.
The Old Customs House in Bangkok has not been rebuilt, it is deteriorated, and it was inhabited. Parts of the walls have crumbled, exposing red bricks.
The occupants were ultimately evicted in early 2016, and the Treasury Department stated in 2017 that the project would carry forward under the U City corporation, as Natural Park was now named after restructuring. U City is to invest 3 billion baht (US$94 million) in rehabilitating and renovating the building into a luxury hotel, with a completion date of 2025.
How To Get to the Old Customs House
It would be very simple to catch a cab to the Old Customs House by informing them Charoen Krung Soi 36 ( 36). You may alternatively take the BTS to Saphan Taksin station along the river and walk approximately a kilometer down Charoen Krung Road to Soi 36. The major road is only a one-minute walk away.
