 Hello, I'm Helen Curry. 100 years ago, my great-grandfather, Cass Gilbert, won a federal architectural competition to design a new custom house overlooking New York Harbor at the tip of Manhattan. Today, in 2007, this cherished National Historic Landmark is celebrating the centennial anniversary of its completion. It is one of the finest examples of Bo's art-style architecture in the country, rich in detail and ornament, both inside and out. Gilbert envisioned it as a monument to the sea trade and adorned the imposing structure with nautical shells, snails, and dolphins. As a further tribute to commerce, he commissioned the legendary 19th-century sculptor Daniel Chester French to create four great seated figures representing the continents and placed them flanking the main entrance. Cass Gilbert felt that a public building like the custom house should serve as an inspiration for patriotism and good citizenship. He said, it should encourage just pride in the state and be an education to oncoming generations. I couldn't agree more. Over the past three decades, the United States General Services Administration has led a remarkable restoration of the building. Continuing to serve its original purpose as federal office space, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House now contains the United States Bankruptcy Court and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. I think my great-grandfather would be proud to know his custom house remains a place of enrichment and education accessible to everyone.