Federal Hall: Wall Street & Nassau Street

Federal Hall Entrance with Statue of George Washington

Located just across the street from the New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall is a historic site that should not be missed by history buffs.  While the original building was demolished and the building that currently stands there (built in 1842) is not filled with as many artifacts from the early years of this nation's history as one would hope, the free 30 minute tour is definitely worth a look (tours are offered on the hour by national park rangers; see http://www.nps.gov/feha/planyourvisit/hours.htm for details on times).  The grand Greek revival architecture of the building was intentionally designed to suggest the great power of the new nation, with its Greek columns from single slabs of all domestic marble (excluding the capitals which are from Carrera Italy) (see left) and its 55' in diameter rotunda (see right).  The wrought iron balcony and the well-worn marble floors are also quite luxurious.

This was the site where (1) George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States (see photo of original wrought iron balcony where George Washington took his oath at left and photo of George Washington's shoe buckle at right -- unfortunately the original bible on which he took is oath is currently out on loan), (2) where the Bill of Rights was drafted (originally 12, 10 were initially adopted), (3) where Congress passed the Judiciary Act that established the coexistence of state and federal courts and laws, and (4) later where the purchase of what later became the state of Alaska was executed. 

Between these historic moments, this was the site where over time: New York City Hall operated, the U.S. Customs House brought in moneys from trade to fund the operations of the young nation, and one of the U.S. Sub-Treasuries protected the wealth of the nation in gold and silver (vaults remain on the main level and the basement level, see right) -- gun turrets once lined the roof to protect the funds kept here!

There is also a room dedicated to the life story of Alexander Hamilton (first Secretary of Treasury of the United States), from birth to an unwed mother who died when he was 11, a father who abandoned them in the Caribbean island of Nevis when he was 10, to the death of his oldest son Philip in a duel defending his father's honor, and finally to the death of Alexander Hamilton himself in a duel with Aaron Burr, who was attempting to pull apart the nascent nation into independent states.  This small glimpse certainly made me more keen about the re-opening of the Hamilton Grange (Alexander Hamilton's home) later this summer at 414 W. 141st Street.  

As I mentioned above, there aren't a lot of artifacts here, but there is a lot of history to appreciate.  If you are in the area, I would recommend a visit in conjunction with any visit to St. Paul's Chapel and Trinity Church (both of which are just a few blocks away, please see my prior blog post on both sites).

Trinity Church & St. Paul's Chapel: On Broadway btwn Wall St and Fulton

Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel (see left and right) make up Trinity Wall Street Episcopal parish.  Both churches are filled with and surrounded by history from the beginning of this nation through the tragedy of 9/11, and is an active parish today.

Trinity Church, which first opened in 1698 but burned in the "Great Fire" of 1776, was rebuilt in 1790 but had to be torn down due to heavy snow damage in 1839, and finally was rebuilt in 1846 for a third time to what you see today.  St. Paul's Chapel was first built in 1766 as a northern expansion of Trinity Church and is the longest continually used public building in the U.S. 

Trinity Church has beautiful bronze doors (see above left and right).  While the church is not the largest or the grandest in New York (see my posts on St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. John the Divine), it also has a spectacular stained glass window behind the main altar (see left) and a perfectly appointed altar in the All Saints' Chapel (see right).  It also has a museum, but when I visited yesterday it was out of commission due to some technical difficulties, but the security guard I spoke to said that is should be back up and running in a couple of weeks so check the website (http://www.trinitywallstreet.org) for details.  

However, some of the most historically significant parts of Trinity Church are actually outside in the cemetery.  In the south yard, there is a memorial for Robert Fulton (developer of the first commercially successful steamboat), the tomb of Alexander Hamilton (the first Secretary of Treasury and the man on the $10 bill) (see left), and in the north yard there lies the oldest gravestone (5 year old Richard Churcher) dated 1681 (see above right).

St. Paul's Chapel is just a few blocks north of Trinity Church, but many New Yorkers do not know much about St. Paul's.  It was the site where for the 9 months following 9/11 rescue workers took refuge, volunteers came from all over the country and the world to help relieve the devastation, and where people of all faiths bonded and helped one another after the devastation.  The interior of the chapel has been changed into a kind of museum with modern displays describing all of these things (which kind of diminishes the beauty of this historical site), but if you take the time to read and really look at the various displays, I assure you that you will be moved.  I certainly was.  The chapel also retains some incredible historical pieces as well -- George Washington came to worship after his inauguration as the first President and over that pew hangs an original 18th century painting of the Great Seal of the United States (see right); and George Clinton, the first NY State governor worshiped here back in the late 1770s and there is also a marked Governor's Pew.

Finally, if you go through the back doors, you will be face to face with the "Bell of Hope," a gift from the City of London to the City of New York, that is rung every September 11th.  And poignantly just beyond the bell, you will be facing west toward the "pit" where the twin towers once stood, and you can oversee the construction that is going on today at a feverish 24/7 pace.

While you could try to time your visit for the Trinity free tour at 2 pm or when the museum re-opens, I would simply recommend that you pick up the handy brochures offered at the front entrance of both Trinity and St. Paul's.  They are very informative, have detailed maps of highlights and provide a good overview of the history of both sites.