Courtyard Conundrum

Courtyard Conundrum

By Isabelle Foley

Sentry Staff Reporter

At this stage of construction, it is pretty much safe to say that the courtyard looks terrible. After many months of anticipation, its aesthetics are, for the most part, cemented (pun intended). Despite the final touches the future holds in store for the courtyard, it is nowhere near the verdant and blooming space I imagined.

It all began with the stairs. When they were first built, they cut the courtyard into half the size I expected it to be. Then there were weeks and weeks of the reapplication of a black coating. Finally, the steps solidified into the white-grey facade we have today. It remains unknown what the designers have planned for the usage of these stairs, but for now they are an official hazard to public safety. If we thought the amphitheatre steps were huge, these ones are an accident waiting to happen. Who knows, maybe they will add a railing on the side not met by the building. This could also double as a way to prevent people from walking off of the steps and onto the roof, which is completely possible right now.

Whatever these stairs are meant for, right now all they do is freak me out. Also, what’s with the random blocks obstructing the path on the side not met by the building’s wall? If the steps were specially designed for students to eat lunch, that brings even more into question. It must be taken under consideration that at least half of the year is too cold or too hot for anyone to want to sit outside. It should also be noted that the trip from the stairs to the truck is way too far. Unless they put a truck in the courtyard, I cannot see many people wanting to venture to the top of those stairs every day for lunch.

The latest development, and probably the most unpopular, is the use of cement over the entire courtyard. That is, except for the random blotches of sapling gardens that look like a kindergarten science experiment. One of them is even wedged between the stairs and the building, completely blocked from sunlight. Overall, I expected something more grassy. Where is the fish pond with reeds and the blossoming field? The geometric placement of infant cherry trees can hardly make up for the hard cement that envelops everything else. What is especially odd about these trees is that they are planted in a perfect rectangle surrounding a drain. The ground actually slopes downward for drainage. If you’re going to artfully surround something with trees don’t make it a drain.

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I think another reason people do not like the cement is because it came as a surprise. For months the courtyard was an enormous square filled with dirt and soil, but now all of that is covered. It is unlike many of the elementary and middle school courtyards in the area. This design choice makes the whole space seem very gloomy and industrial. It has been compared to something you might see in a prison. The more you think about it, the more you can actually find comparisons between the courtyard and a prison yard. The groundwork is all cement, the glass windows on the building next to it are lined with thick iron bars and there are enormous stairs that look like they are made for physical labor.

I have heard some reminisce of a time where the courtyard bore grassy earth and a natural feel. They remark on the exceptional superiority of the old courtyard, where they spent their years of underclassmen basking in the sunny ambiance. It all seems too good to be true. How could such a practical, common-style courtyard exist?

That said, we can always try and make the best of what we have. Or we can think overly optimistically. Maybe this is all just a ruse by the landscaper who really wants to “wow” us with the actual results. Maybe once they add a few benches and picnic tables, it will all come together. Or maybe lightning will strike and destroy the place altogether. Either way, it will be a new opportunity for the Yorktown community to add its own finishing touches, and personalize it for the students to come.

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