What building hosted the first United States Congress in 1789?

Federal Hall hosted the first United States Congress in 1789.

Located on Wall Street in New York City, Federal Hall was the meeting place of the first Congress under the Constitution. The First United States Congress convened there on March 4, 1789, although a quorum was not reached until April. Congress organized the new government, counted the presidential votes, and established executive departments and federal courts.

George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall on April 30, 1789. The building therefore connects the start of the constitutional government with the first presidential inauguration. It also had an earlier revolutionary history: the Stamp Act Congress met at the building’s predecessor in 1765, and the Confederation Congress met there when the structure was known as Congress Hall.

Federal Hall is sometimes confused with the United States Capitol, which was not yet the national legislature’s permanent home. It is also distinct from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration and Constitution were debated and adopted.