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Stanford University — The checkable facts
Quick answer
Stanford University campus is legally Leland Stanford Junior University, named for a boy who died of typhoid in Florence in 1884, aged 15. It opened in 1891 on the family's Palo Alto farm. Frederick Law Olmsted laid it out, having argued unsuccessfully for the foothills. Memorial Church and Hoover Tower are both free to enter.
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| Leland Stanford Jr. died of typhoid fever in Florence on 13 March 1884, aged 15 | Wikipedia — Leland Stanford Jr. |
| The university opened in 1891 on the Stanfords' Palo Alto farm; legal name Leland Stanford Junior University | Wikipedia — Stanford University |
| Frederick Law Olmsted was hired to design the campus | Wikipedia — Stanford University |
| In 1906 the 80-foot spire and clock tower fell onto the chancel roof and the mosaic was destroyed | Wikipedia — Stanford Memorial Church |
| Memorial Church was closed between 1906 and 1913 for repair | Wikipedia — Stanford Memorial Church |
| After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake the church remained closed until 1992 | Wikipedia — Stanford Memorial Church |
Frequently asked
Why is Stanford called Leland Stanford Junior University?
Because it is named for a child, not a founder. Leland Stanford Jr. died of typhoid fever in Florence on 13 March 1884, aged 15, during a European tour with his parents. His father's line afterwards was that the children of California shall be our children. The university opened in 1891 and the legal name has never changed.
Who designed the Stanford campus?
Frederick Law Olmsted, who had designed Central Park and the Cornell campus and was the most famous landscape architect in America. He argued for building in the foothills — higher ground, better views, better drainage — and lost to Leland Stanford, who wanted it on the flat land where his horse farm stood.
What happened to Stanford Memorial Church in the 1906 earthquake?
Its 80-foot spire and the clock tower fell onto the chancel roof, the facade collapsed into the Inner Quad, and the great mosaic was blown out and destroyed. The church stayed closed from 1906 until 1913 while every stone was dismantled, labelled and rebuilt with steel connections.
Can you go inside Stanford Memorial Church and Hoover Tower?
Both are open and free. Step into the church and look up at the replacement mosaics, then take the lift up Hoover Tower for the view over the Peninsula. Between them they take under an hour, and they are the two things on campus worth crossing town for.
Is the Stanford campus original?
Not most of it. The 1906 earthquake wrecked the Memorial Church and the Quad, and the 1989 Loma Prieta quake damaged the church again badly enough to close it until 1992. The sandstone is original where it survived and matched where it did not — almost everything visible has been rebuilt at least once.
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