Charter Oak Cultural Center

Charter Oak Cultural Center, housed in Connecticut's first synagogue, is an historic urban sanctuary that provides broad access to multi-cultural arts and education through its programs which honor the world's cultures and embraces a passionate commitment to social justice. The Center serves as a ready catalyst for community-building among the region's richly diverse cultural groups.

Built in 1876, this building was born out of the struggle for religious freedom—a constitutional amendment was required to allow its construction as a non-Congregationalist house of worship. The building was home to Congregation Beth Israel until 1936, and then to the Calvary Baptist Church until 1972.

The building stood abandoned until the late 1970s, when a plan by the city to demolish it elicited a strong response and led to the mobilization of a small group of Jewish leaders. The building was saved, and subsequently placed on the National Register of Historic Monuments and has been transformed into a multi-cultural arts center.

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