Federal Hall National Memorial

Federal Hall National Memorial stands on the historic site of New York’s original City Hall and the first United States Capitol (1703–1812). The site is where the Stamp Act Congress convened (1765), where John Peter Zenger’s landmark free‑press trial occurred (1735), and most famously, where George Washington took the oath of office as the first U.S. President in 1789. The current Greek Revival building, completed in 1842 as a U.S. Custom House and later Sub‑Treasury, features a dignified Doric colonnade and a rotunda designed by John Frazee—symbolic of democratic and republican ideals inherited from classical antiquity.

Today, under National Park Service stewardship, Federal Hall operates as a museum and memorial honoring its foundational role in American governance. The main rotunda houses exhibits such as the original inauguration balcony floor and Washington’s Bible, among permanent installations about the First Congress, the Bill of Rights, and the evolution of freedom of the press .

Interesting Facts

• The site hosted the first Stamp Act Congress (1765), early free‑press trial of John Peter Zenger (1735), and the Northwest Ordinance enactment by the Congress under the Articles of Confederation.

• A bronze statue of George Washington by John Quincy Adams Ward was placed on the front steps in 1883 to commemorate his inauguration at this location.

• The building blends Greek temple form with a Roman-style domed rotunda (though the dome is hidden), making it a unique fusion of classical architectural legacies.