Along the longest international land border in the world sits the US Customs House and Post Office in Pembina, a beautiful building built during the Great Depression. This building is significant in North Dakota postal history for its unique architecture and functional history. It’s quite possibly one of the grandest and best-designed buildings in Pembina today, which is evident upon first glance.

A stones throw from the Canadian border, the structure was primarily built to house the US Customs and Immigration departments since it was located at a major entry point between the United State and Canada. Secondarily, it served as a post office, which took less than one-third of the interior floor space. The building was completed in 1932 for the cost of $115,000. Its striking appearance draws on Dutch Colonial style architecture, showcased by a gambrel-style roof, classical detailing, deep red brick, multiple dormer windows, and a large covered porch.

Historically speaking, there seems to have been no urgent need for expanded postal facilities. Rather, the government appears to have needed larger facilities for Customs and Immigration in Pembina, as it sat on the main route to Winnipeg, Canada. It fulfilled these roles for decades, until the mid-1960s, when a new custom home was constructed. The post office was decommissioned and moved to a new building in Pembina in the 1990s.

The Pembina Custom House and Post Office is a unique design, not one commonly seen in North Dakota during that time period. It is also historically the most important building in this small community and was honored by being placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.