Federal Hall was the New York building where George Washington took his first presidential oath.
Washington’s inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan. It was the first presidential inauguration under the new Constitution, and Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the oath of office.
Federal Hall also hosted the First United States Congress, which began meeting there in March 1789. Congress used the building to create important parts of the new government, including the federal court system and the executive departments. The Bill of Rights was proposed there on September 25, 1789.
The original Federal Hall was demolished in 1812. The current Federal Hall National Memorial occupies the site and commemorates the building’s constitutional-era role. It should not be confused with Congress Hall in Philadelphia, which became a meeting place for Congress after the national capital moved there in 1790.