The southern edge of The Yard directly abuts Howard Place, while it is separated from the other roads by intervening buildings.

The Yard is a roughly flat grassy expanse, dotted with trees around its edges, and traversed by an intersecting network of paved paths.

Facing The Yard, across Howard Place from the south, are the combined Founders and Undergraduate Libraries, along with the Andrew Rankin Chapel.

Three of the four buildings on the south and west sides of The Yard are historically significant for the role they played in the legal school desegregation battles of the 20th century.

Howard's law school was the epicenter where the legal strategies were formulated, leading to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case.