George Washington took the first presidential oath of office in 1789 at Federal Hall, a founding event remembered by America250.
Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, in New York City, then the temporary capital of the United States. The ceremony took place on the balcony of Federal Hall, where Congress was meeting.
Robert R. Livingston, the chancellor of New York, administered the oath. Washington then delivered an inaugural address to Congress, beginning the presidency under the newly established Constitution.
Federal Hall is often confused with Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and adopted or signed. The White House did not yet exist as the presidential residence in 1789, and Washington later lived in Philadelphia before the executive mansion opened in Washington, D.C.