George Washington
New York, New York, New York
Marker Inscription
Standing on this stone, on the balcony of Federal Hall April 3o. 1789 George Washington took the oath as the first President of the Unites States of America
The Story
On April 30, 1789, George Washington stood on the balcony of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan and took the oath as the first President of the United States. New York City served as the nation's first capital, and this moment set the young republic's experiment in self-government into motion. The stone marked here commemorates the physical spot where that history began.
Why it matters
Washington's inauguration launched the presidency itself, establishing precedents of peaceful, constitutional leadership that have shaped American democracy ever since.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Museum of American Financenearby
- Pilecki Institute0.2 mi away · 92 Greenwich Street, New York, NY
- MĒRCER LABS0.2 mi away · 21 Dey Street
- Fraunces Tavern Museum0.3 mi away · 54 Pearl Street, New York, NY
- National Museum of the American Indian0.3 mi away · 1 Bowling Green, New York, NY
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum0.3 mi away · 180 Greenwich Street, New York, NY
Attractions
- New York Stock Exchangenearby · 11 Wall Street
- Barthman's Sidewalk Clock0.2 mi away · Maiden Lane
- The Genius of Communication0.2 mi away
- Saint Paul's Chapel0.3 mi away · 209 Broadway, New York, NY
- Woolworth Building0.4 mi away
- South Street Seaport0.4 mi away
Food & drink
- Maman1.3 mi away
- Bluestone Lane1.3 mi away
- Yaso1.3 mi away · 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
- Sweetgreen1.4 mi away
- Krispy Pizza1.4 mi away · 33 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
- Semicolon Cafe1.4 mi away
Places to stay
- Radisson Hotel New York Wall Streetnearby · 52 William Street, New York, NY
- Holiday Inn0.1 mi away · 51 Nassau Street
- Residence Inn New York Downtown Manhattan/World Trade Center Area0.2 mi away · 170 Broadway, New York, NY
- Hotel Indigo0.2 mi away · 50 Trinity Place, New York, NY
- The Cloud One New York-Downtown0.2 mi away · 133 Greenwich Street, New York, NY
- Courtyard New York Downtown Manhattan/World Trade Center Area0.2 mi away · 100 Greenwich Street, New York, NY
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · George Washington
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Soldiers' Monument
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In June 1852, New York City's citizens gathered at City Hall and resolved that Trinity Church should raise a fitting monument to American patriots who perished in the struggle for independence — among them many who died as prisoners in British hands. The resulting Gothic memorial still stands in Trinity's churchyard near Wall Street. Its inscriptions turned a churchyard into a place of civic remembrance for the Revolution's forgotten dead.
City Arms Tavern & Veteran Corps of Artillery
New York, NY
On the site of the late-eighteenth-century City Arms Tavern, a group of patriotic citizens gathered on November 25, 1790 — Evacuation Day, marking the 1783 departure of the last British troops from New York. Veterans of the Continental Army's artillery corps met to plan for the young nation's defense and organized themselves into the Veteran Corps of Artillery of the State of New York. That military command has served continuously ever since.
Bowling Green Fence
New York, NY · est. 1964
Erected by the Common Council in 1771, this iron fence surrounds Bowling Green, New York's oldest park, leased back in 1733 for use as a bowling lawn at a token rent of one peppercorn a year. In 1776, patriots toppled the nearby equestrian statue of King George III and, by tradition, sheared the royal crowns from the fence posts. The fence itself has survived for more than two centuries.
Fraunces Tavern
New York, NY
On December 4, 1783, days after the last British troops left New York, George Washington gathered his officers in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern to bid them an emotional farewell, the Revolutionary War won and his command soon to be surrendered. The tavern was kept by Samuel Fraunces, a man of West Indian origin who had long served the patriot cause. The scene — a victorious general voluntarily taking leave of his army — became one of the enduring images of the new nation.