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A Gem Grows on State Street
K of C's new museum dazzles (and it's free!)
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Business New Haven
4/2/2001
By: Priscilla Searles
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New Haven's newest cultural attraction is the Knights of Columbus Museum. It's located in the former Community Services Building at One State Street, across the street from Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a structure that has been extensively renovated to house the growing Knights collection. It includes items from the former facility located in the Knights' international headquarters building at One Columbus Plaza. The interior of the 77,000-square-foot structure was redesigned by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates.
The building is designed so that visitors naturally circumnavigate an open courtyard featuring a statue of Christopher Columbus, a World War II Memorial and dozens of bamboo trees. The interior of the spacious facility is state of the art, with modern open spaces featuring art from the Old and New Worlds. On the landing of an open-design staircase from the lobby is a 400-year-old copper cross that was part of the statue of Christ the Redeemer that stood atop St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
“We plan to have volunteers who will be available to answer questions,” says Larry Sowinski, museum director, “but we really want people to take a self-guided tour so they can take in the collections at their own pace. We have a theater on the first floor with a six-minute presentation that explains the exhibitions.”
The museum houses several galleries, each with a different theme. The Columbus Gallery stresses Columbus' impact on world history and includes artifacts from his second voyage of exploration in 1493, the 1892 Columbus Exposition and the recent 1992 quincentenary commemorations.
A 17th-century statue of Saint Peter welcomes visitors to the Papal Gallery. The largest gallery is the “Wall of History,” which begins with the birth of the Knights and charts its growth. Included is a decorative vase presented to the Knights by the government of France for the order's relief work during World War I and a 1946 membership application from U.S. Navy veteran John F. Kennedy.
The Library Gallery contains rare books and documents. The Mexican Revolution of 1914-1917, for example, is brought to life through papers that document the martyrdom of six Mexican priests by the new revolutionary government. All six were Knights members and were beatified last May.
The last permanent gallery is the States Gallery, which contains artifacts and mementos from the 11,500 Knights councils around the world.
The Changing Exhibits Gallery and upper lobby will house temporary exhibitions, programs and exhibits. “Mosaics from the Vatican Studio,” the current exhibition, is represented in religious and secular works and by artists from cultures from ancient Greece and Rome to contemporary Mexico. The exhibit, which runs through June 30, contains a photo mural and tools of the artist that help explain the technique of painting a picture by using tiny stones and chisels.
Sowinski is sanguine about the museum's location. “Right now we're concentrating on making people aware we're here,” he says. “It was probably an advantage that we opened at the end of winter because we're still dealing with some construction projects, but they should be under control by the time the warm weather comes. I think the museum is a very good addition to New Haven and will have a positive impact on the community.” He adds that one major museum advantage is ample on-site parking under the building.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays from Labor Day through May 1. During the summer the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Best of all, for its first year of operation, admission is free.
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