Federal Hall hosted George Washington’s first presidential inauguration in New York City on April 30, 1789.
The building stood on Wall Street at the site of New York’s former City Hall. After the Constitution created the new federal government, the first Congress met there, Washington took the oath on its balcony, and the new administration began operating in New York City.
Federal Hall had earlier been associated with the colonial and Revolutionary periods. The Stamp Act Congress met at the site in 1765, and the original building was renamed Federal Hall after New York became the first national capital under the Constitution.
The building was demolished in 1812, and the present Federal Hall National Memorial was constructed later on the site. Independence Hall is the building linked to the Declaration and Constitution, while Federal Hall is linked to the launch of the constitutional government.