Stanford's Architecture

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Does someone mind explaining Stanford's architecture? I'm thinking of Stanford for EA, but can't get over the buildings (I really like the Red Harvard buildings and the gothic styles of Princeton and Yale) Stanford's architecture looks Hispanic-based and more like a missionary to me than a university. Do you guys think that its unique look is a good thing, does it grow on you? ;D</p>

2

<p>The formal name for the architecture is “mission style” (I think mostly Mission Revival, with maybe some Spanish Colonial Revival- the President’s house, Hoover Tower maybe?). </p>

<p>It fits in really well with the weather and surrounding view. It’s pretty in it’s own way. I was indifferent to it when I first came, but I’ve found things to like about it over the years. It’s really mellow and it frames the sun and rain quite nicely.</p>

3

<p>Stanford has a mix of styles; the dominant one is the Mission Revival, but it differs significantly from the typical implementation in that its masonry is a darker sandstone with a very rocky appearance, instead of the sterile stucco that’s so common for the buildings in California (and missions). Stanford also uses tiles of a darker red, which have a really pretty contrast with the blue skies and green surroundings. Other architectural styles on campus are variations of the same elements: Richardsonian Romanesque, Mediterranean Revival (like [Toyon</a> Hall](<a href=“http://farm5.static.■■■■■■■■■■/4096/4851287462_b37d9c42d5.jpg]Toyon”>http://farm5.static.■■■■■■■■■■/4096/4851287462_b37d9c42d5.jpg)), gothic Spanish architecture (like [the</a> Knoll](<a href=“https://ccrma.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/ccrma%20at%20dusk.jpg]the”>https://ccrma.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/ccrma%20at%20dusk.jpg)), and even some classical architecture (like [Cantor](<a href=“http://www.tribalartmagazine.com/pictures/lieu_expo_img/raw_186.jpg]Cantor[/url]”>http://www.tribalartmagazine.com/pictures/lieu_expo_img/raw_186.jpg)</a>) and Beaux-Arts architecture (like [Roble](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shs/images/photos/roble/roble_main2.jpg]Roble[/url]”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shs/images/photos/roble/roble_main2.jpg)</a>). In most cases the style isn’t definitively one - it’s usually a hybrid of different styles, with the most aesthetic elements chosen against the scenery. There are even more modern variations of the old styles, like the new [url=&lt;a href=“You've requested a page that no longer exists | Stanford News”&gt;You've requested a page that no longer exists | Stanford News]SIEPR[/url</a>] building and the new engineering [url=&lt;a href=“http://tusb.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Huange1.jpg]quad[/url”&gt;http://tusb.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Huange1.jpg]quad[/url</a>].</p>

<p>I very much like that the campus maintains a continuity in architecture - even when varying, it reuses elements like the arches/arcades, sandstone appearance, etc. It isn’t just the architecture though that endear people quickly. What makes the campus beautiful, IMO, is the natural setting: some 27,000+ trees on campus, with lots of groves and shrubby pathways, buildings nestled among the trees. Throw in a few fountains and you have a very serene view. Some find it beautiful instantly; some take time to let it grow on them. I’d say most fall under the former. ;)</p>

<p>IMO Harvard’s campus is ugly (too many red bricks, too New England), but Yale’s and Princeton’s are quite pretty.</p>

4

<p>Thirty-some years ago, I showed up at Stanford to start grad school never having actually seen the campus. I hated it. It was totally suburban, designed like a golf course (isolated buildings with long, manicured fairways leading up to them), all color-coordinated (those dark reds and sandstone, not just on the mission-style buildings but on lots of the modern ones, too). If I had visited before I decided where to go, I would never have gone to Stanford.</p>

<p>And of course that would have been the biggest mistake of my life. Stanford was, and is, a wonderful university. So what if you don’t like the architecture? It has its own integrity, and as you spend time there it will acquire emotional resonance for you, so it will no longer matter what you think of the architecture in theory. The Bay Area as a whole is one of the nicest, most beautiful metropolitan areas on Earth, and Palo Alto is one of the nicest areas within it. The foothills behind Stanford are stunning in a way no Taco Bell-style building can mar.</p>

<p>Do yourself a favor, don’t overthink the architecture.</p>

5

<p>WOW! I honestly can’t believe anyone wouldn’t love the architecture. For my S and I it was the icing on the cake! </p>

<p>We are from the NE and I love Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. We think they are beautiful too. I think you have to remember that this is California and mission style architecture is prevalent on the West Coast. Hence, Princeton wouldn’t fit in on the west coast just as Stanford wouldn’t fit on the East Coast. But they both work beautifully in the areas they were built.</p>

6

<p>When a few of my friends visited me at Stanford, I gave them a tour and I remember their final opinion was kind of like, “what??” They expected to see lots of grand Gothic buildings with ivy creeping up the walls and columns at the fronts. They had no idea that Stanford wasn’t pretentious like some of the Ivies who attempt to copy Oxford and Cambridge and fail. While Princeton and Yale are pretty, they pale in comparison to Oxbridge, and for me ended up giving off a we’re-trying-really-hard kind of vibe. That’s why I’ve always thought the Stanfords had it right in designing the campus: they managed to make a gorgeous campus without resorting to the tired old Gothic style, instead constructing buildings with a majestic feel but still true to the Californian roots.</p>

<p>Of course, many are underwhelmed by the result, but I think most who don’t see the impressive beauty immediately see it in time. In other words it does grow on you. :)</p>

7

<p>Well, the number 1 thing that is really pulling me to Stanford is the weather haha. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for all my life and I always turn into a sad mood whenever it is really cloudy ;D What percent of the year at Princeton and Yale would you say is cloudy?</p>

<p>*When I say “cloudy” I mean the sky is completely covered with clouds, no blue sky, no sun.</p>

8

<p>Wikipedia’s climate info on Palo Alto says there are on average only 57 days that have measurable rainfall. And considering that it barely sprinkles normally, many of those 57 days are barely cloudy, or cloudy only for a short amount of time.</p>

<p>In New Haven, there are only 208 sunny days on average, 110 with measurable rainfall. You can google “[university] climate” and come up with lots of data.</p>

9

<p>Do more reading than posting in CC but could not help weigh in on this topic.</p>

<p>I find it stunning that anyone could enjoy the plain brick buildings at a place like Harvard more than the California mission style at Stanford. Fact is, Harvard is about the ugliest campus one could imagine (and of course that doesn’t matter since it’s the name you’re buying in to). Now Princeton and Yale are both nice proxies for the gothic style lifted from European universities but both look small and poorly designed compared to better, grander examples of that architecture, e.g. Univ. of Washington.</p>

<p>Stanford’s architecture is unique and you’re unlikely to find any other university where it’s been copied or is even similar. Talk a walk through the Quad and then around the perimeter of the Quad and you will know why it’s ranked among the top 2-3 most beautiful campuses in the U.S. Does it have the same natural beauty as a place like Cal or Duke? Maybe not, but you’d have to be a little off to not enjoy going to school there.</p>

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<p>To kind of give another update on this thread, I visited a friend at Yale recently. It was nice, but there were a few turn offs. First, the gothic architecture is recently done, with most of it coming after 1910. To make it older, they treat the materials. Second, it’s not consistently gothic. The old part of campus is brick. Other times you will have a gothic building to your left, then a modern building to your right, and a brick building behind you. Stanford is much more consistent in my opinion. Third, streets run through campus. This was annoying for me. It makes it harder to get that “campus” vibe. Fourth, I didn’t find it to be that centralized. At Stanford, classes are very centralized, while dorms are on the periphery, with libraries generally between the two. And the science classes at Stanford are pretty near everything else, whereas at Yale the science area was up the hill. It just seemed very disorganized. </p>

<p>On the flipside, it was nice to have a campus more integrated into the town. And the buildings were pretty, if not a bit “fake” and inconsistent.</p>

11

<p>We were not impressed with Harvard’s campus as a whole. It seemed disjointed and boringly brick, though the Yard was certainly OK. Also, It’s a long walk over a bridge to the athletic complex, and that section of the town was not nice at all, IMO. Princeton U. is lovely, as is the town, lake and canal area. But the campus feels a bit cramped as they keep squeezing in new buildings. Duke is quite pretty because of the vegetation, but we were not fans of the two-part campus that requires freshmen to ride a bus from where their dorms are to reach their classroom buildings. I loved Yale’s campus, but a number of the buildings we went in were rather shabby. And the homeless people with garbage bags living on the quad, as well as the seediness of New Haven (think basement bars and homicides) was a less attractive aspect. Dartmouth is gorgeous in every way except the cold and slush, but isolated. Penn is classic Ivy, but very noisy and agitated. And southwest Philly is an undesirable location, if not dangerous. </p>

<p>Stanford is warm and comfortable–feels like being at home in a sunroom or breakfast nook. At some of the other elites, I felt like I was visiting the drafty, dusty old mansion of an elderly aunt.</p>

12

<p>I must agree with what everyone is saying. We visited 25 schools and Stanford was by far the most appealing. Our runner up was Duke, although we agree with GFG the freshman campus is too far from the main campus. My S stayed there for admit weekend and wasn’t happy with the isolation of the freshman campus. Sorry to say but Stanford has it all. It’s architecture is unique and gorgeous and the over all lay out of the school is superb. The weather is just the icing on the cake. My S and I were very surprised to find out that Stanford is the second largest university in the world because it doesn’t feel that way. Everything about the campus feels accessible. You don’t need a bus to get from one place to the other. Then Palo Alto and San Francisco are both right around the corner. I truly can’t imagine a better place to live for four years.</p>

<p>(BTW the largest campus in the world is the University of Moscow, although thats debatable because supposedly they included some square footage from their high rise buildings, where Stanford just looks at acreage.)</p>

13

<p>Duke was the only campus we visited where the admissions staff gave out free water bottles to tour groups. It was SOOOOO hot.</p>

<p>Georgetown’s environs get an A+, and the campus is nice enough, but their facilities are not up to par. A friend’s D attended. She sent her second two children to Notre Dame and Villanova insead, because she claimed Georgetown did not maintain their buildings well. D is a runner and did not like the fact that they didn’t even have a full-sized track (heard they were building one, though.)</p>

<p>We visited Brown twice. The campus is OK but not very memorable. What I do recall is that they did a terrible job of ice and snow removal, and parking was tough. Columbia was nice, but the tour guides said the college life happens largely off campus, eg. in NYC clubs etc. Too pricey for us.</p>

14

<p>I have been a lurker on CC for many months now (looking for info to help my daughter winnow her choices for application/obtain insights to help her deecide among offers/getting tidbits of wisdom on the school she selected), but have never felt inspired to post–until I read this thread starter. I could not agree more with JHS reply–is the “look” of a school REALLY that signficant??? If you are among the fortunate few to by honored by an offer from Stanford (which had the 3d lowest admit rate of any school this year-only Harvard and Julliard had lower admit rates) will the color and exterior of the buildings REALLY make any difference (and the same question equally applies if you receive an offer from HYP)?
My daughter was honored and humbled by Stanford’s offer to admit her and, while she happens to like the “look/feel” of the campus, the style of a school’s architecture was perhaps 30th on her list of 32 matrices/factors for weighing among competing offers, finishing ahead only of the “color of the schools athletic uniforms” and “ratio of pencil sharpeners to students” factors.
Perhaps the poster is confident of receiving offers to all the HYPS schools, and hence the “look” of the campus will become important is his/her decision–I would only recommend that he/she NOT mention that fact in his supplements on his application, since I can’t imagine it will help inspire confidence in the admission officer who reviews it that this is a person to honor with an offer of admission.</p>

15

<p>We visited in the month of august. It was 105 degrees, so they gave us free water too. Interesting we found out that day that Duke doesn’t have A/C in most of the dorms. Is it me or is that crazy considering its location?</p>

16

<p>Duke is a beautiful campus but I agree about the air conditioning. We visited last year during the first week of school and my daughter met up with a friend that had just started. Her room mate had missed her very first class because the noise of all the fans had drowned out the alarm clock.</p>

17

<p>Stanford struck us as unworldy - the weather was beautiful, the campus was so clean, and to our east coast eyes the architecture exotic. Our tour guide, a nice boy from the south was just thrilled to be there. At lunch the small group at the table next to ours was discussing some research or other that sounded fascinating. It was by far our favorite.</p>

18

<p>If you’ve been on CC long enough, and especially if you’ve read the thread about the dumb reasons students write off schools, you know that kids make college decisions based on all kinds of factors and value those factors in differing priority order. While architecture in and of itself seems insignificant, wouldn’t you agree that the “feel” of a place is part of that nebulous concept of “fit”? Certainly the aesthetic appeal of the campus contributes to a positive “feel” and thus to one’s sense of comfort there. Why spend 4 years in a place that turns you off, even if it’s a superb school? Stanford’s look is unique, and so there’s not much neutrality about it. People tend to either really love it or really hate it.</p>

19

<p>I completely agree about the “all kinds of factors” comment…climate, for example, can have a major impacr on quality of life. And I’m trying to imagine Stanford with Gothic ivy-covered buildings, but it doesn’t produce a very nice image…</p>

20

<p>As an international student, I had never visited any of the schools I applied to. When I first got to Stanford, I thought the campus was nice even though most of the buildings were not visually impressive. I liked it, but I also thought that this was what college campuses look like in general. But after visiting Columbia and Berkeley, I realized why everyone loves Stanford’s campus so much. It’s just so beautiful and well-maintained. The environment is idyllic and almost magical. The relatively low-key architecture makes you feel at home and everything feels accessible and welcoming. It’s an awesome environment to live and study in.</p>

<p>But as an avid photographer, I have to agree that Stanford is not very visually interesting. The buildings blend together nicely to create a visually pleasing environment, but there is nothing really interesting or unique to catch your attention if you are trying to take a stunning photo.</p>