Which building hosted the first U.S. Congress under the Constitution?

Federal Hall hosted the first U.S. Congress under the Constitution.

The building stood on Wall Street in New York City and served as the first capitol under the new federal government. The First Congress met there from March 4, 1789, before moving to Congress Hall in Philadelphia in 1790.

Federal Hall was also the site of George Washington’s first presidential inauguration on April 30, 1789. Congress passed important early measures there, including the Judiciary Act of 1789, which created the basic structure of the federal court system. The Bill of Rights was proposed there on September 25, 1789.

The original building had earlier been New York’s City Hall and had hosted the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. It was remodeled for national use by architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The original structure was demolished in 1812; today’s Federal Hall National Memorial occupies the site and commemorates its founding-era history.