Free previewStop 7 of Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
The Balcony Where Washington Took the Oath
You're standing on Wall Street, right where Broad Street runs into it from the south. In front of you is a marble temple: a row of thick Doric columns, a wide flight of steps, and on those steps a bronze George Washington, one hand out, as if he's about to say something important. Look at that statue first, and then at the columns behind him. The building they belong to is not the one Washington knew. That one was demolished in 1812.
In 1789 the country was under a newly ratified Constitution, and New York was its first capital. For years before that, the Confederation Congress had met in the old City Hall on this spot, under the Articles of Confederation. Now a new Congress was coming, and New York's mayor and city council wanted to make the city the permanent capital.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 7 of Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan Walking Tour (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
