1. The Gift Shop Used to Be the Cashier’s Office

Before the implementation of income and corporate taxes, the government relied heavily on tariffs on imported goods for revenue. Money coming in through the New York Custom House alone, at one point, accounted for 50% to 80% of the total federal revenue. The $7 million cost of construction for the building was made back in only one month. What is now the new gift shop of the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian used to be the cashier’s office where tariffs were collected and millions of dollars in international currency would flow through. You can still see the original metal cages, and hidden behind some storage, the original vault where money from all over the world would be stored.

Next, check out The Top 10 Secrets of The Federal Reserve Bank of New York