Federal Hall National Memorial - New York City

One of the most well known locations of New York City is Wall St. Everyday, crowds throng wall street, visiting its most famous spot - as everyone knows, the new york stock exchange.
Just a few steps away, however, a site which holds much significance to american history hides in plain sight. I say 'hides', but it is just that people in their excitement over the NYSE mostly just tend to overlook this building and rush to the next tourist attraction on their list (which mostly tends to be the bull, a short walk away). I had done the same many times until i decided to stop and explore what was here.

The history of Federal Hall Memorial in Wall St goes back to the 1700s, before the American Independence. It is interesting to note that the history of wall street itself goes back much further - in the early 1600s, before New York was New York, it was New Amsterdam, a Dutch settlement. And Wall Street is believed to be the site of an actual wall, serving as a boundary of the dutch settlement in the tip of the manhattan island.

Federal Hall today is a tale of two buildings. The first building that stood there at the present site was known as the City Hall, built between 1699-1703. At a time when new york was a british colony, it was in the courtrooms of this city hall that the first case against libel and sedition for criticizing the royal governor was aruged. after a public burning of the newspaper and imprisoning the editor for a year, the trial ended in 1735 with the jury accepting the defense and it laid the foundations for free speech and freedom of press.

Three decades later, in 1765, representatives from the british colonies in america convened in the city hall building, to protest against the british stamp act, and opposing taxation without representation. It was considered one of the earliest organised events in the american revolution. Another couple of decades later, after America had won its independence, new york was decided as the nation's first capital. It was in the city hall building on this site, in 1789, that George Washington took oath as the first president of the country, in front of a large crowd and a 13 gun salute. The colonial era building also became the first seat of power of the new american government, after some remodelling.

 slab of stone on which george washington had stood as he took oath, still preserved in the federal hall. 

the bible which was used for swearing in george washington to office, on display at the federal hall

In 1812, the building in the site was demolished, and 30 years later, the second building on this site, the present one still standing, was built to serve as the U.S Customs House. In 1862, the building became one of the six sub-treasuries of the country and the customs moved out. As new york's importance as a financial powerhouse steadily grew, new fortified steel and concrete vaults were added and were filled with millions of dollars in gold and silver.

The building was designated as a historic site in 1939 and redesignated as a national memorial in 1955. Today the building is operated by the national parks service, with free access to all, containing exhibits that tell the history of this building. It may be just a small space amidst the overwhelming structures of manhattan, but it is important to take a moment to go back in time and imagine the place it has had in history of this country - having seen the founding fathers walk up this street, and having borne witness to the birth of a nation.

the rotunda of the federal hall with its imposing columns.

view of the federal hall memorial from outside, with the statue of george washington in front.