The History

In Italian villages, the community church played a central role, quietly keeping watch over the town square or piazza. And on Sundays it was where the community gathered, not just to worship, but to actually be a community.

When Italian Americans first migrated to the New Haven area, they needed to build a community that both honored their heritage and respected their new home. Enter the Scalabrini fathers, missionaries to Italian immigrants all over the world. Through the efforts of the fathers, St. Michaels Church was founded. It is now the oldest Italian-American parish in all of Connecticut

St. Michael’s commanding presence, standing respectfully over Wooster Square – its third location in New Haven – was, indeed, so reminiscent of Italy. Inside, the church was an elegant spectacle featuring stained-glass windows, votive candles, religious frescoes, shrines to the founding families and an imposing pipe organ. Over the years, the church played a major role in assimilating Italian-American immigrants into the American way of life, providing the neighborhood with many activities beyond religious services, extending its organic reach into the community: its school offered classes from Nursery School through Eighth Grade, the convent providing housing for the nuns that taught at the school and served at the parish. It was indeed, the centerpiece and focal point of the community.

St. Michael First Communion, 1942

And now the neighborhood will begin a new era in its evolution. The Lofts at 250 Greene will respectfully transform the convent and school into 23 unique and distinctive apartments spread throughout its campus. It will feature luxury accommodations for young professionals, growing families or larger space for those who prefer one of our stunning penthouses.