New Day at Federal Hall

New Day at Federal Hall is a public-private partnership between the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy and the National Park Service, working together to transform the visitor experience at this seminal national memorial.

The constitutional historian Richard B. Bernstein has said:

“Although Philadelphia is where the Declaration of Independence was written and adopted and where the Constitution was framed, New York City is where the American experiment in constitutional government began, and Federal Hall is the crucible of that experiment."

Federal Hall was the First Capital of the United States, the site of George Washington’s jubilant inauguration, and where the First Congress created the framework of American government and approved what became known as the Bill of Rights. The restoration of Federal Hall includes an ambitious plan to create new interactive gallery exhibitions that make this vital American history accessible and compelling. Learn more about the history.

Our goal is to address three challenges: Education, Restoration and Financial Sustainability.

EDUCATION

The opportunity at Federal Hall is both simple and enormous : to invite the over 17 million annual passersby to step inside and discover a national treasure that’s hiding in plain sight. Virtually none of them are aware of the sacred character of this historic memorial. We seek to change this status quo by creating a premiere visitor destination with immersive installations that engage visitors with the ideas, ideals and contradictions of American governance as forged here at Federal Hall. Our cornerstone public programs in the arts and humanities will invite these visitors to have a deeper dialogue with the legacy of the site today.

RESTORATION

The 1842 Greek Revival Federal Hall building, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and Ithiel Towne, is a rare exterior and interior landmark. Although valiantly operated by the National Park Service, Federal Hall is underfunded with an extensive maintenance backlog. Already, we have invested over $5 million in private funds to catalog the historic collections, install a fire suppression system, restore the iconic Wall Street steps and revive the statue of George Washington. Our next phase, with private and federal funds to be secured, will address critical restoration needs on the interior, including the Grand Rotunda and exhibition galleries as well essential as climate and technology systems to enable and sustain increased public visitation.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

To sustain this new high impact program for visitors, we are building a strong base of revenue generating activities and philanthropy to enhance existing government funding . Our success will allow: the expansion of public access from five to six days per week; enlargement of the public exhibit footprint to over 18,000 square feet; and the tripling of the number of visitor engagement staff, which over time will double visitation from 300,000 to over 600,000 annually .

Restoring, activating and sustaining Federal Hall—the birthplace of American democracy—is vital to our heritage.

Federal Hall is a place of firsts: First Capital, First President, First Congress and First Freedoms.

At almost no other time in our history has it been more important than now to understand the legacy of the founders who came together here at Federal Hall to establish the United States of America a new form of government, for and by the people.

New Day at Federal Hall will connect the sesignifican t events of the past with today through transformation of the visitor experience at Federal Hall National Memorial. The effort, a public - private partnership between the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy and the National Pak Service, addresses three main challenges: Education , Restoration and Financial Sustainability

Loving God. Loving People.

The Conservancy

The National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy was founded in 2005 as the official nonprofit partner of the National Parks of New York Harbor — 24 parks and historic sites in the New York City Metropolitan Area. New Day at Federal Hall is a primary initiative of the Conservancy in partnership with the National Park Service, our mission is to restore and transform Federal Hall into a world - class heritage destination with civic, education and tourism programs.

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Tonio Burgos

Tonio Burgos is the Chairman of the Conservancy. He is the founder of Tonio Burgos & Associates Inc., a consulting firm which serves a wide range of clients in both the public and private sector across the tristate area. Tonio has served as a member of the Advisory Committee of Lower Manhattan Economic Development Corporation on Transportation issues; as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and as a Director of the PATH Commuter Rail System

Mark

Marie Salerno

Marie Salerno is the President and Co-Founder with the late Marian Heiskell of the Conservancy. For 40 years, she has produced multi-faceted campaigns for New York’s cultural,
literary and educational institutions, including The New York Public Library, Thirteen/WNET, New York Magazine and NYC 100: Greater New York Centennial Celebration.

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Renee Barnes

Renee Barnes has more than a decade of experience developing public programs for national parks. As Director of Programs and Operations for the Conservancy, she oversees implementation of its public programs as well as its planning and restoration projects.

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Lynn Goldner

Lynn Goldner is a film and television producer, who has developed projects for premium cable channels such as HBO and Sundance Channel. She is the Federal Hall producer working to secure the creative talent and partnerships for The Democracy Project and a Grand Rotunda experience.

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Laura Herrera and Brandi Marks

Laura Herrera and Brandi Marks are co – founders and managing partners of Full House Events, each with nearly two decades of experience in several industries, including travel and tourism, government, nonprofit fundraising and event production. Full House is developing partnerships and a facilities rentals program for Federal Hall.

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Bonnie Levinson

Bonnie Levinson ’s career working in the arts with cultural institutions spans three decades, most recently as deputy director for external affairs at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and as a trustee of several arts organizations including San Francisco Art Institute and EnGardeArts. As a consultant to Federal Hall, she is developing the visual arts and residency programs.

John

David Taggart

David Taggart has a long career in media and marketing. He specializes in spon sorships, marketing, activations and project development. He is also an award-winning photographer and founder of the social media platform,
Republic of Humanity

 

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