Custom House (Monterey)

Built in 1827 by the Mexican government, the Custom House is the oldest surviving government building in California — and the first site designated a California Historical Landmark. Monterey was then the capital of Alta California, and duties collected here from foreign traders were the Mexican government's primary revenue source. On July 7, 1846, Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag over this building, declaring California part of the United States. The Native Sons of the Golden West later secured a lease and restored it; the landmark designation followed in 1932.