 Bristol Customshouse and Post Office is a historic two @-@ story rectangular Italian palazzo style brick building that was used as a post office and <unk> in Bristol , Rhode Island , United States . The land for the site was acquired for $ 4 @,@ 400 . The building was designed by Ammi B. Young and completed in 1858 for a cost of $ 22 @,@ 135 @.@ 75 . The building roughly measures 46 feet ( 14 m ) by 32 feet ( 9 @.@ 8 m ) and is constructed of deep red brick and has three arched openings on each of its sides and stories that are lined with sandstone moldings . The archways protrude from the side of the building and the center archway serves as the first floor with the adjacent archways housing large windows that are barred with iron . As it typical of the style , the second floor is more elaborate with a shallow balcony of iron supported by iron brackets and the paneling of the upper facade 's surmounting entablature is elaborately decorative . The sides and rear are similar to the front facade , but include blind recesses and the molding is of a browner sandstone . 
