Ed. Magazine #40: Because Yurt Posted January 22, 2020 By Ed. Magazine It’s impossible to imagine this happening now, but it was the late 1960s, and times, as Bob Dylan sang, they were a changin’. In October 1968, while architects were still working on plans for what would become the school’s new $6 million library, Bill Coperthwaite, a first-year doctoral student, built a $600 (and some would say brutalist style) yurt in two days on the library site, with the help of other students. The yurt, with its shiny red roof, became a gathering place for students to drink tea and talk about what they were learning. Coperthwaite told the Harvard Crimson at the time that the school’s approval for the yurt surprised and pleased him, as did the reaction of staff members like William Reilly, the school’s business manager, who told the student newspaper, “It would certainly solve my space needs if I could put up a few.” The following year, Radcliffe College agreed with Reilly and asked Coperthwaite to design another yurt for their faculty and administrators in what is now the location of the Sunken Garden. Lecturer William Schroeder helped build the new yurt and said he planned on holding office hours in the space after Christmas and in the spring would teach a seminar there. Explore HGSE's Centennial website, a central resource for events, stories, ways to get involved, and more. Ed. Magazine In the Round Ed. Magazine In Search of the Yurt Man Ed. Magazine The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Explore All Articles Related Articles Askwith Education Forum Future of Education: A New Vision for Higher Education in Indigenous Communities An essential conversation with five indigenous scholars and education leaders as we search to bolster and secure the future of higher education for indigenous communities and deliver on the promise of education Ed. Magazine #14: Because Brutal is (Mostly) Beautiful A look at two buildings on campus that you either love or you hate. Ed. Magazine #83: Because Belonging Matters Our new director of diversity, inclusion, and belonging writes about why it was important to have the word “belonging” in her title.