New Haven Green
Bordered by College, Chapel, Church and Elm Sts.
A National Historic Landmark, the Green is one of the nine squares in the city’s 1638 village plan. New Haven is the first planned city in the US.
The New Haven Green has a fascinating history that dates back to the city’s founding in 1638 by English Puritans. Originally, it was designed as a central square where the community could gather for various purposes such as marketplace, parade ground, and public events.
The Green is an approximately 16-acre open space surrounded by streets and flanked by historical structures such as churches, government buildings, and Yale University facilities. It is divided into two sections, the Upper Green and the Lower Green, and it features pathways, trees, and benches scattered throughout. According to legend, the Puritans who planned the Green designed it to be exactly large enough to lift and spare the 144,000 people who they believed would ascend in the Second Coming of Christ.
The New Haven Green is home to three historic churches: Center Church on the Green (Congregational), United Church on the Green (United Church of Christ), Trinity Church on the Green (Episcopal), the New Haven County Courthouse, a neoclassical building that symbolizes justice and government, and Yale University buildings, including Yale’s Old Campus, which adds to the area’s academic and cultural significance.
250 Temple St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
203-773-9494
