George Washington took the presidential oath at Federal Hall in New York City during his first inauguration.
The ceremony occurred on April 30, 1789, on the building's second-floor balcony. Federal Hall was then the nation's capitol and the meeting place of the First United States Congress. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the oath before a large crowd gathered in the streets.
Washington's inauguration happened nearly two months after the first presidential term formally began, reflecting the time required to organize the new government and bring officials to New York. Vice President John Adams had already begun presiding over the Senate.
Federal Hall was later demolished, and the present Federal Hall National Memorial stands near the original site on Wall Street. The event is sometimes confused with later inaugurations held in Washington, D.C., but the first presidential oath took place in New York City, before the federal capital moved south.