The exterior of the Connecticut Big E Building, a brick building with four white columns and a small gold dome at the top

Big E Connecticut Building

The Connecticut Building at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA is located in the Avenue of the States and maintained by the Department of Administrative Services. It sees more than 1 million visitors during the Big E fair, which runs in September of each year. 

The building was originally constructed in 1938 and was rededicated by Governor William A. O'Neill in 1985. It received interior aesthetic upgrades in advance of the 2024 Big E and is slated for a full roof replacement, exterior repairs, new soffits and gutters, brick facade improvements, painting, and interior electrical upgrades, with work expected to begin following the 2025 Big E. 


BUILDING INFORMATION

City: West Springfield, MA

Current owner of property: State of Connecticut

Year constructed: 1938

Number of buildings: One

Parking: Learn more at the Big E's website.

Getting Here (thebige.com)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

I have heard a rumor that the Connecticut Building at the Big E is sovereign territory of the State of Connecticut. Is this true?

No. The Connecticut Building is owned by the State of Connecticut, but it is located on Massachusetts soil and is therefore subject to Massachusetts laws and regulations. For instance, the incorrect singing of the National Anthem is illegal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in Connecticut it is illegal to call a pickle a pickle unless it bounces (sort of, see more from the Connecticut State Library below). Because the Connecticut Building is located in Massachusetts, visitors must sing the Star-Spangled Banner correctly but are also free to sell a pickle that does not bounce (provided they follow all health and safety measures required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the town of West Springfield and abide by all vendor rules of the Big E). 

Part IV Title I Chapter264 Section 9 of the Massachusetts General Laws (malegislature.gov)

The Myth of the Connecticut Pickle Law (ctstatelibrary.org)