Notice the site of the most important inauguration in American history, an event that shaped your country. On April 30, 1789, George Washington stood on the balcony of the original Federal Hall and took the oath of office as the first President of the United States. New York was then the capital, and this building was the seat of the new federal government.
Congress met here, the Bill of Rights was drafted and passed here, and the executive departments of the republic were organized here before the capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790. The original building was demolished in 1812. The Greek Revival temple you see now was built between 1834 and 1842 as a customs house, using marble from Westchester County, and converted to a federal office building later.
Washington's bronze statue stands where the balcony was. Step up and look at his stone face, then down Wall Street in both directions: the intersection of finance and government that Washington witnessed here has never really ended.