Cecil Elementary School Entry Plaza
Baltimore, MD
In Progress
Cecil Elementary School has long been considered a community anchor in the Midway neighborhood of Baltimore, MD. A group of parents and neighborhood volunteers have been working for years to transform the building’s exterior to better match the quality of education taking place within the building.
The first phase of the multi-step plan was the striking owl mural, which was completed in 2017. The Entry Plaza is the next step that replaces unusable passive green space with active seating areas for instruction and socialization at pick-up and drop-off. The existing non-native street trees have been replaced with Swamp White Oaks and Eastern Redbuds that will create more shade and seasonal flowering. Existing tree pits are expanded to accommodate more rooting space for the trees, shrubs, and perennials that will add life and seasonal texture to the streetscape.
The benches are fabricated by Camp Small from wood salvaged from damaged trees in Baltimore’s parks and streets.
Details
Services Provided: Concept Design through Construction Administration
Client: Friends of Cecil Elementary
Location: Baltimore, MD
Year: 2021-2022
Concept sketch along Cecil Avenue sidewalk. The existing fenced off green space will be transformed into a series of seating areas where students can gather during pick-up and drop-off. The two-tiered benches and stools can be used for outdoor instruction.
Before: The existing open space was fenced off and not accessible to students or families. Non-native lilac street trees were not ideal for creating shade on the sidewalk.
Before: The open space is dominated by non-native plant species and is not an inviting place for Cecil families to gather.
In progress: A group of volunteers partnered with the Baltimore Tree Trust to plant river birch, swamp white oak, and eastern redbud trees.
In progress: Cecil ES volunteers planted trees and extended the existing mural to create a welcoming and fun streetscape for students, families, and neighbors.
In progress: Benches are being fabricated at Camp Small in Baltimore from wood recovered from Baltimore parks and street trees.
Camp Small fabricated the bench slabs from White Oak trees that have a trunk diameter of greater than 24".
Credits
Landscape Architecture: Conroy Landscape Architecture
Tree Planting: Baltimore Tree Trust
Bench Material Fabrication: Tree Baltimore’s Camp Small
Landscape Contractor: Division Street Landscaping
Grant Funding: Central Baltimore Partnership Community Spruce-Up Grant
Original Mural: Ronnie Younts, Younts Design Inc. and Greg Gannon, Signs of Intelligent Life