Knights of Columbus Museum

The Knights of Columbus Museum, formerly the Community Services Building, is one of New Haven’s most distinctive, modernist buildings. Its brutalist style has resulted in a plethora of clear forms and shapes that cascade up to the corner of George & State Streets. The hard concrete positions the building as a harsh-seeming island in a sea of asphalt parking, a condition that has afflicted the site ever since the New Haven Coliseum was demolished in 2007 [23]. Yet the main entrance offers an elegant staircase, with smooth curves that accent the elevated main floor, where retrofitted exhibitions designed by Kevin Roche make for an uneasy, yet ultimately satisfying relationship with the building’s original interior.

The building is monumental, but its site should be considered second in importance only to the Green. The connection of the nine squares to the harbor, the funneling of railways, the power of industry, and a few forgotten secrets make this site one you shouldn’t overlook.