Information on this page:
Overview
Lucie Stern Hall, built shortly after World War II and renovated in 1995, represents Stanford’s brief departure into architectural modernism. Stern honors donor “Aunt Lucie” Stern, a popular local figure and friend of the University who often invited students to her Palo Alto house to make them feel at home.
Stern Hall consists of six small houses that accommodate about 100 students each, either in all-freshman or four-class buildings. Stern houses were originally named for California pioneers, such as horticulturalist Luther Burbank, mission founder Father Junipero Serra, and mother lode author Mark Twain. Casa Zapata, named more recently, reflects the Chicano/Latino cross-cultural theme program located at the complex.
Stern and the post-war building boom
Stern Hall is a beloved residence on campus due, in part, to Lucie Stern. Lucie’s gifts and donations to Stanford University - including student loans, gifts to health services, Stern Hall, and a new Law School building – have allowed students, faculty, and staff to thrive and continue carrying on her spirit.
Today, Stern Hall's architectural style is often considered controversial at Stanford, but, when it was built in 1948, some saw it as a necessary shift toward modern architecture and planning. In his support of Stern and other building-boom projects at the time, Stanford President Donald Tresidder (1943-1948) called for “new educational buildings [that] will not…imitate, in steel and glass and concrete, the truly inimitable beauty of the stone-built quads…Rather we shall build with today’s materials, harmoniously, but of the present.”
Eldredge Spencer, a Beaux Arts-trained San Francisco architect, headed Stanford’s first planning office, established under Tresidder, and designed Stern. Abandoning Stanford’s familiar red-tile roofs and arcades, Stern organized the houses around small internal courtyards, but provided for a central kitchen and dining facility. Faculty resident apartments and common areas in each house - particularly libraries and lounges - were meant to encourage interaction among students and faculty.
For information on the accessibility of residences for both living and visiting, please reference our Undergraduate Residences Accessibility Summary chart.
General Information
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Residence Name |
Stern Hall Map |
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Neighborhood |
Eastside | |
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Navigation Address |
618 Escondido Road, Stanford, CA 94305 | |
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Housing Front Desk |
Stern Hall Housing Front Desk | |
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Dining Service |
Located in the center of the Stern residential complex and serving students from Burbank, Donner, Larkin, Serra, Twain, and Casa Zapata (the Chicano theme house), Stern Dining is heavily influenced by the vibrant community that surrounds it. From the daily salsa bar to the rotating Latin American specials, the taste of the food is matched only by the beauty of the murals adorning the walls of the dining rooms. |
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Class Configuration |
All freshman and four-class | |
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Co-ed Type |
Co-ed by corridor (men and women live on the same floor) | |
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Custodial Service |
University managed | |
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Common Areas |
Each house in Stern has its own lounge, dining room, and other common areas, providing popular gathering spaces for residents. | |
The Houses
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| Burbank | Casa Zapata* (Theme house) |
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| Donner | Larkin |
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| Serra | Twain |
House Facts
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Burbank |
Configuration: |
All Freshmen |
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Casa Zapata* |
Configuration: Theme: |
Four-class house Chicano/Latino Theme House |
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Donner |
Configuration: |
All Freshmen Co-ed by corridor |
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Larkin |
Configuration: |
All Freshmen |
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Serra |
Configuration: |
All Freshmen |
| Twain | Configuration: Co-ed type: |
All Freshmen Co-ed by corridor |
*Important Assignment Information
Residential Education is offering a pre-assignment system for all Special Program Houses (Ethnic/Academic Theme, Focus and Cooperative Houses). This process will allow Resident Fellows, Faculty Affiliates, and house program staff to pre-assign a set number of residents who complete the pre-assignment application and meet all necessary requirements prior to the Housing Draw. Here is the Residential Education link for detailed pre-assignment information.
There are THREE ways to get in to Special Program Houses. Please see the Theme and Focus House page for details.
Furnishings
| General |
Bedroom |
| Wall-to-wall carpeting |
Extra-long twin bed |
| Window coverings |
Desk and chair |
| High-speed internet access |
Wall-mounted bookshelves |
| Telephone and telephone line |
Dresser |
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Cable TV capability |
Mirror |
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Waste basket and recycling bin |
Bathroom
Separate bathrooms and showers for men and women are located on each floor.
