Location:Yonkers, NY
Size:95,000 square feet
Completion Date:2024
The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School is the first new school in the City of Yonkers in over 20 years. The new 95,000sf community school, houses 675 students in grades Pre-K through 8th and includes spaces for art, science, special projects, dual language curriculum, and computer science.
The building’s exterior takes cues from both the neighboring apartment building and St. Denis Church. The Lawrence Street façade was inspired by the verticality of the Church and mimics its bay windows and stone cladding. The McLean Avenue façade complements the brick of the abutting apartment building.
The main entry opens to the below street level cafeteria which features stadium stairs, recessed booth seating, and access to an interior outdoor courtyard. The first floor also houses the Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms which have direct access to outdoor balconies.
Each floor is color coded for easy wayfinding and the corridors provide "moments" or opportunities for casual collaboration. At both ends of the corridors, large windows provide natural light. The main stairwell, located on the corner of McLean and Laurence, features window walls that reconnect the school to the city.
Designed to be a community resource, the physical education wing and a community health clinic function as a stand-alone community resource after school and on the weekends.