Stanford University: The Campus Guides

By David J. Neuman, Richard Joncas, David Neuman

Book Overview

The unique settings and circumstances of American college campuses have given rise to some of the richest and most innovative examples of architecture and planning in the United States. These campuses are sites of many of the country's finest building programs, and showcase the best work of successive generations of architects. In spite of this, there has, until now, never been a comprehensive overview of the architectural heritage of America's campuses. The Campus Guides are beautifully illustrated, informative books on the design and history of American campuses. These titles will appeal to architects, historians, and travelers as well as to the students, prospective students, parents, faculty, and alumni for whom the campus holds many rich memories. Each book profiles over 75 major buildings and gardens on the campus and its surrounding community, and also provides visitor information. The guides feature color photographs newly commissioned for the series, as well as archival photographs and drawings. A perspective map illustrates an overview of the entire campus and significant landmarks; smaller detail maps locate buildings, museums, performance halls, religious structures, parks, and gardens. The New York Times praises the books, "which illustrate how academic goals were developed and expressed through campus design, and include artful maps, photographs, archival drawings, and historical narratives written by architects or professors of architectural history."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568981694
• ISBN13: 9781568981697
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 0.5" x 6.3"
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Stanford as a collection of buildings

This is another volume is the Princeton series on U.S. universities, using a similar format: the campus is divided into "walks," with each chapter covering one walk and commenting on each building. As one reviewer here did not seem to understand, this is not the insider's guide to Stanford, nor even a full history of the University. That said, the reviewer made a telling criticism: in a campus defined by its setting, showing the buildings without showing the surrounding trees and open areas gives a false sense of the appearance of the place. When compared with other volumes in this series, "Stanford" is a little better than average. The entries are brief and factual, without the rather elliptical architecture speak that characterizes some of the Ivy League volumes. Most buildings are represented by a small photograph. There are a very few full page pictures. Based on the date of publication, this book was not written for the Princeton series, but was adapted for it. The maps appear to have been added more recently, and the method of presentation is different from the other volumes. Here, the buildings are considered not by location but by period, starting with the original structures (including ones destroyed in the 1906 quake) and proceeding up to the present. This means that adjacent entries are adjacent in date of construction, not location. Building 71 may be half a mile away from building 72. In the original publication, written for a Stanford audience, this was not a problem, but it may be difficult for those who do not know the campus. There are a number of errors in the maps, with some buildings not listed or not marked on the maps. Finally, a few entries seem wrong: Toyon hall is listed a dormitory for 150 men. Hmm... that's what it was when built, and perhaps (I doubt this) it is today. When I lived there 20 years ago, it was a dorm for about 230 men and women. Nice picture though. In fairness, the chronological approach is more logical, even if it makes it harder to read the maps. It allows the reader to see how building one structure can change the look and the traffic patterns of a large part of the campus. On the whole then, I recommend this book as a good way to see Stanford, so long as you understand the limitations of this kind of history. Just don't look for pictures of the tree or LSJUMB!