Where did George Washington take the oath as the first United States president?

George Washington took the oath as the first United States president at Federal Hall.

The first inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, in New York City, then the nation's temporary capital. Washington took the oath on the building's second-floor balcony before a large crowd. Robert R. Livingston, chancellor of New York, administered the oath.

Federal Hall stood on Wall Street and housed the first Congress under the new Constitution. Washington's inauguration followed the certification of the Electoral College results, which had been delayed by the logistical difficulties of establishing the new federal government.

The site is often confused with Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are associated. It is also sometimes confused with the White House, which was not yet the presidential residence and was not occupied by Washington. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, and the present Federal Hall National Memorial marks the location.