The statue of George Washington keeps a watchful eye over the straw hat stock traders in this 1926 photo, but
nothing could prepare them for what was to come just a few years later. The stock market crash of 1929 would mean the loss of their
jobs, as well as the jobs of millions of Americans.
The vehicle above is located on Broad Street, which is
just to the right of the New York Stock Exchange and just in front of historic Federal Hall. Interestingly enough,
the street looks much the same today.One exception would be the current security infrastructure surrounding
11 Wall Street, which is the New York Stock Exchange and is located just to the left of the car.
Federal Hall has not changed either and serves its own history, as it was originally the US Customs House.
It was the place for the swearing in of our first president on April 30, 1789 and the drafting of the Bill
of Rights by the first congress in 1790. The US Customs later moved and the building became the US Sub
Treasury, as originally noted on the back of this photogaph.
In 1955 until today, this Greek Revival building serves as a monument to George Washington and opens its doors
for different occasions. In 2003, the building served as a display forum for the new concepts of the
World Trade Center. People saw maps, floor plans and images of what different architects envisioned it to be and the Lower
Manhattan Development Corporation provided cards for the public to voice their opinion. The concepts, including
the wining one by Daniel Libskind are currently on display a few blocks away at the World Financial Center.
