In the center of New Canaan, where three steeples form a triangle over God’s Acre, the town has quietly pulled off something remarkable—a seamless union of history, preservation, community faith, and future vision. It didn’t involve an emergency hearing, a protest march, or an impromptu civics lesson in the checkout line at Walter Stewart’s. No, this was New Canaan at its best: thoughtful, elegant, and harmonious.
The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society has acquired the 2.3-acre property long home to St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. It is the oldest surviving church structure in town, a quiet sentinel since the 1800s. It predates the railroad and the Civil War. Instead of watching it slip into disrepair or be eyed by a developer with a fondness for glass and steel, our citizens have chosen a higher road. It has turned a sanctuary into a centerpiece.
The arrangement—graceful and efficient—allows the church to continue holding services while becoming a vital part of the Museum’s expanding campus. A sacred space now doubles as a site for historical education, cultural programming, and, yes, more children’s activities (because in New Canaan, we always have need of more children’s activities).
It’s a preservationist’s dream and a planner’s delight. “It really is an amazing win,” said longtime benefactor Dede Bartlett, who—with her husband Jim—helped ensure the project’s success. “That’s exactly the way to put it. It is a win-win for everybody.” No small feat in a world where “win-win” often means someone walks away quietly disappointed.
In other towns, old churches get turned into event venues or condos with names like The Sanctuary at Elm. The stained glass is repurposed as wall décor. The history is diluted to a QR code on a brass plaque. But not here. Here, they read Churchill and mean it: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” New Canaan understands that a church doesn’t lose its soul when it changes hands—it gains new purpose when treated with reverence.
That reverence is evident in every detail. The stained-glass windows—sunlight passing through lambs, chalices, and open books—still flood the sanctuary with kaleidoscopic color. The building remains architecturally intact, spiritually present, and civic-minded in function.
The Museum, under Executive Director Nancy Geary and Board President Tom Monahan, spent two years negotiating the purchase. They’ve effectively doubled the Museum’s footprint, with new room for lectures, concerts, and exhibitions, and space—finally—for the Museum’s costume collection, described as the finest in Connecticut.
As Bartlett said, “There’s going to be no regret on this.” Other towns wake up to find a wrecking ball in their rearview mirror. That did not happen here–and in New Canaan, it rarely does.
We often say New Canaan gets it right. But here, in the shadow of three steeples, that statement becomes literal. The Museum and the church, side by side, each playing their part. Not a compromise, but a convergence. And in that, there is something quietly profound.
