proponents of  academic classicism 205
Figure 7.11
should be truly a monument. The adornment of the building should
U.S. custom house,
express the  wealth and luxury of the great port of New York. The
New York, New York,
customary architectural motifs of a dome and columnar portico
1899 1907, Cass Gilbert.
were thought to be inappropriate for such a structure. The interior
Courtesy National
was richly finished with a  noble corridor, an elliptical rotunda,
Archives.
sculpture, and decorative paintings. The paintings illustrated com-
merce through history. At the base of the main facade were four
seated figures, representing America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, the
 four great continents which contribute to the commerce of the
world. At the cornice were placed figures representing the  great
commercial nations of the world. 46
Other notable Tarsney Act projects included the federal govern-
ment building in Indianapolis, the invited competitors for which
were divided between local firms and the profession at large. The
firm of Rankin & Kellogg won the competition with a design marked
by a long Greek Ionic colonnade along the building s facades (figure
7.12). The second success of the firm with a Tarsney Act project led
some to speculate that the program might foster the growth of a