Courses

Stanford has one of the most beautiful and recognizable campuses in the world. For more than a century, the university’s growth has been marked by examples of unique and intentional design choices, often blending contrasting styles or shrugging off dominant conventions of the period. This course, led by Stanford’s director of architecture, will examine the campus’s development through an in-depth architectural exploration of four iconic buildings: Memorial Church, Hoover Tower, Cantor Arts Center, and Green Library.

While many American universities established a library at the center of their campuses to symbolize enlightenment, Stanford opted for a church as the focal point of its ceremonial entrance. As a visual counterpoint to the horizontal church and the Main Quad, Hoover Tower dominates the campus skyline but is capped with a dome instead of a more typical pyramidal roof. Cantor Arts Center is an eclectic mix of architectural styles that reflect the tastes of the university’s founders, and it symbolizes the value placed on diverse styles and perspectives. And instead of emphasizing the small windows and artificial light so prevalent in libraries at the time, Green Library boasts a large central rotunda that allows natural light to flood the reading room and book stacks. Through carefully paired readings, engaging presentations, and fascinating walking tours, students will uncover the reasons behind these unique architectural choices and gain a fresh perspective on the rich history and innovation of Stanford’s campus design.