The Knights of Columbus Headquarters, a remarkable architectural feat designed by the renowned architect Kevin Roche, was completed in 1969. This iconic building is distinguished by its four emblematic corner towers, representing a symbolic gateway to New Haven. The innovative design highlights the philanthropic organization’s commitment to the community and showcases Roche’s ability to blend form and function seamlessly. With its impressive vertical statement, the headquarters serves as a beacon of the organization’s values and an integral part of the city’s visual identity.
Knights of Columbus Headquarters Technical Information
- Architects1:
- Location: New Haven, CT, United States
- Topics: Office Tower, Clay Tile, Weathering steel
- Completion: 1969
- Area: 275,600 Square Feet
- Photographs: © Courtesy of KRJDA
The towers at the corners contain the stairs and toilets and are clad in silo tile. This clay tile, normally used for silos in the Midwest, is approximately 12- to 13-inches square and is chamfered on top to cast a strong horizontal shadow, balancing the vertical thrust of the towers.
– Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC (KRJDA)
Knights of Columbus Headquarters Photographs
Innovative Design of Knights of Columbus Headquarters
A Symbolic Gateway by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates
The Knights of Columbus Headquarters serves as a base for a philanthropic organization with substantial insurance operations. Designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates, the building aims to create a striking vertical statement at New Haven‘s entrance, acting as a symbolic gateway to the city. Its orientation on a diagonal axis establishes a connection with the local city streets’ diagonal grid across the highway.
Featuring five towers, including four exterior and one interior elevator tower, the building showcases a unique blend of slip-form concrete and steel construction. The continuous concrete pour was used for the towers, while steel spans were implemented between them, reminiscent of the Ford Foundation’s design. The 90-foot exterior beams, installed without fireproofing after extensive consultations with the fire marshal, sit outside the structure.
Secondary beams span back to the core and are exposed within the surfaces, seamlessly integrating mechanical and lighting systems into the structure. With no false ceilings, the 13-foot floor-to-floor height offers an expansive, airy workspace for insurance operations.
Corner towers, housing staircases, and restrooms are clad in silo tiles, a dark-plum-colored clay material typically used for Midwest silos. The 12- to 13-inch square tiles feature chamfered tops to cast robust horizontal shadows, counterbalancing the towers’ vertical emphasis. This tile color harmonizes with the weathering steel, minimizing staining issues during the steel’s early weathering phase.
Knights of Columbus Headquarters Plans
Knights of Columbus Headquarters Gallery
About KVJD and Associates
Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC (“Roche Dinkeloo”) is a direct outgrowth of Eero Saarinen and Associates, established in 1950. After Saarinen’s passing in 1961, the practice was subsequently taken over by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo. Together they worked to complete the remaining design of Saarinen’s major projects, including the Dulles International Airport, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and the TWA Flight Center at New York’s JFK Airport CBS Headquarters in New York.
Eamonn Kevin Roche FAIA (June 14, 1922 – March 1, 2019) was an Irish-born American Pritzker Prize-winning architect. He has been responsible for the design/master planning for over 200 built projects in both the U.S. and abroad. These projects include eight museums, 38 corporate headquarters, seven research facilities, performing arts centers, theaters, and campus buildings for six universities. In 1967 he created the master plan for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and designed all of the new wings and installation of many collections, including the recently reopened American and Islamic wings.
- Structural Engineer: Henry Pfisterer
