Sitting in the middle of Wall Street diagonally across from the New York Stock Exchange is an old customs house on the site where George Washington was inaugurated in 1789. The building was completed in 1842 in classical revival style by one of the first architecture firms in the city, Town & Davis. It’s a mix between the Doric Colonnade of the Parthenon and the Roman dome on the Pantheon.
It gets more ornate inside with columns in Corinthian style and a large open space that represents a core value of democracy. The old Federal Hall was the then Capitol Building and held the first session of Senate and an inaugural ball shortly after Washington’s inauguration.
Admission is free and the information in the small alcove exhibitions is informative, but it’s only open on weekdays.
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