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New
Haven Courthouse Restoration Task Force
HARTFORD – The Connecticut Judicial
Branch announced today the establishment of a task force to formulate and monitor the
implementation of a plan to restore Geographical Area Courthouse 6 and 8 which is located
at 121 Elm Street in New Haven. Former Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Robert I. Berdon
will be chairing the New Haven Courthouse Restoration Task Force.
Known for its Greek pillars and marble walls,
this 110,000 square foot facility opened in 1913 on the northeast corner of New
Haven’s famed Green. The seven courtrooms within the courthouse are currently
utilized to hear criminal, family, small claims, and motor vehicle matters.
"Many of us can remember the days when this
courthouse was an asset to the New Haven green," Chief Justice Francis M. McDonald,
Jr., said. "The years have taken their toll. As the Legislative and Executive
Branches of government assist us in providing additional facilities in New Haven, the time
has come to develop a plan to restore this historic structure to its original beauty and
function. I am pleased that Justice Berdon has agreed to take on this very important
endeavor."
"The New Haven Courthouse has a special
significance to me," said Justice Robert I. Berdon. "I was sworn in to the
Connecticut bar and as a superior court justice in this magnificent and historic
courthouse. Over the many years of its existence, judges assigned to this courthouse have
decided complex and troubling controversies that reflected the societal influences of the
day. Due to its historical significance and the fact that it is interwoven into the social
fabric of New Haven, it is essential that this courthouse receive the attention and
resources that is needed."
"I look forward to working with the members
of the task force to ensure that this landmark building is brought back to its original
grandeur," Berdon continued.
Joining Justice Berdon on the task force will be
judges, attorneys, and members of the public, including: Judges Donald W. Celotto, Barbara
A. Coppeto, Elizabeth A. Gallagher, William L. Hadden, Jr., Lubbie Harper, Jr., Beverly
Hodgson, Frank S. Meadow, Socrates H. Mihalakos and Jonathan E. Silbert. Also serving on
the task force are: Attorney Peter A. Berdon; Attorney Jonathan J. Einhorn; Ms. Karyn
Gilvarg, Executive Director of City Plan Department; Mr. Frank Grasso, Building
Maintenance Supervisor of the New Haven Courthouse; Mr. Fred S. Meadow; Julia McNamara,
President of Albert Magnus College and Attorney Michael Sulzbach and Robert A. M. Stern,
Dean, Yale University School of Architecture.
G.A. 6 and 8 currently serve the citizens of
Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Madison, New Haven, North Branford, and
Woodbridge.
Editors’ Note: A 1915 photograph of
G.A. 6
and 8, courtesy of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, is available by contacting the
External Affairs Division.
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