Lectures, Tours and Walks

Architecture Lecture Series

The University Architect and Campus Planning and Design Department sponsors Architecture Lecture Series throughout the year.

The series has featured landscape architects, architects, engineers and artists working together in the building and design industry. The list of speakers ranges from Ricardo Legorreta, Sr. Norman Foster, to Peter Bohlin and Peter Busmann. Since 1995 to 2002 the series concentrated on the idea of innovation in architecture and landscape architecture. The last several years have been dedicated to the “Transformational Practice” and to the “Seduction of Craft,” during the recent Spring 2008 Series.

The series is free of charge and is open to the public. The schedule is every other Wednesday in the April/May time frame.

Tours and Walks

Stanford University has a proud heritage of unique architecture and beautiful grounds. We offer tours and walks of our buildings and grounds throughout the year. Some of the many areas of interest covered include:

  • Hanna House, a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, was designed in the mid-1930s after Paul Hanna, a professor in the School of Education, and his wife, Jean, asked Wright to develop plans for an inexpensive campus house for their family of five. The final product was a glass-fronted collection of hexagons -- Wright was then experimenting with non-rectangular structures -- with a brick chimney at its core. The house was seriously damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. It has since been restored and tours are offered regularly. These popular tours fill up fast, so be sure to register for a spot!
  • New Architecture Walking Tour (pdf): This self-guided tour explores recent architecture and landscape at Stanford.
  • Campus Walking Tour: Spend an hour with a student guide exploring the highlights of Stanford’s beautiful campus. A great introduction for first-time visitors and tourists.
  • Campus Golf Cart Tour: With Stanford’s 8,180 acres, it’s impossible to see all the highlights of campus in one hour. But, if you’d like to see the central campus area, as well as some hidden gems not included on other tours, sign up for our student-led golf cart tour.
  • Group Tours: Designed exclusively for school, team, or community groups, these tours offer a great introduction to Stanford University. Reservations are required, so book ahead!
  • Cantor Arts Center Public Tours: These interesting tours include the Outdoor Sculpture Garden, Memorial Church, Rodin Sculpture Garden, and more.
  • Town and Gown Walking Tours: Explore Palo Alto and Stanford University.
  • A Self-Guided Podcast Tour of Plants, Animals, and Science Art on the Stanford Campus: Stanford biologists Donald Kennedy and Paul Ehrlich, plant ecologist Katherine Preston, and writer and artist Darryl Wheye present the first of a series of self-guided podcast tours featuring the biological heritage of the Stanford campus and its rich collection of outdoor art.

Please visit Buildings and Grounds Maintenance to learn about more of Stanford's outdoor tours and walks.

Stanford University is the proud recipient of multiple awards for excellence in design and architecture. Learn more about our awards.

 

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