Overview
A brief introduction to Federal Hall National Memorial
Here on Federal Hall, George Washington took the oath of office as our first President, and this site was home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices. The current structure, a Customs House, later served as part of the US Sub-Treasury. Now, the building serves as a museum and memorial to our first President and the beginnings of the United States of America.
Federal Hall was the first capitol building of the United States established under the Constitution. Serving as the meeting place of the First United States Congress and the site of George Washington's first presidential inauguration, the building was located on Wall Street facing the northern end of Broad Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, from 1703 to 1812. The site is occupied by the Federal Hall National Memorial, a Greek Revival–style building completed in 1842 as the New York Custom House. The National Park Service now operates the building as a national memorial commemorating the historic events that occurred at Federal Hall.
The original structure on the site was built from 1699 to 1703 as New York's second city hall. The building hosted the 1765 Stamp Act Congress, before the American Revolution. After the United States became an independent nation, it served as the meeting place for the Congress of the Confederation, the nation's first central government under the Articles of Confederation, from 1785 to 1789, and the building was expanded and updated. With the establishment of the United States federal government in 1789, it hosted the 1st Congress and the inauguration of George Washington as the nation's first president. It was demolished in 1812.
The current structure, designed by Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis, was built as New York's U.S. Custom House, before serving as a Subtreasury building from 1862 to 1925. The Subtreasury building continued to be used as a governmental office building for a decade, and it opened as a public memorial in 1940. The building is constructed of Tuckahoe marble. Its architectural features include a colonnade of Doric columns, in addition to a domed rotunda designed by the sculptor John Frazee. In front of the building is a large statue of George Washington by John Quincy Adams Ward. The facade and part of the interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Other nearby parks
Open to camping at other nearby parks? Here are a few other parks you'll find in the vicinity.
- African Burial Ground National Monument
- Governors Island National Monument
- Greenwood Park
- General Grant National Memorial
- Hamilton Grange National Memorial
- Gateway National Recreation Area
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park
- Saint Pauls Church National Historic Site
- Valley Stream State Park
- Hempstead Lake State Park
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