Memorial Church - Gold, Glass and a Fallen Spire

Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Stanford University Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Step into the Main Quad's inner courtyard and you face the church Jane Stanford built in memory of her husband, Leland, who died in 1893. Dedicated in January 1903, it was designed by Charles A. Coolidge in a Romanesque style with Byzantine touches, and its walls inside and out were covered with mosaics made by the Salviati studios in Venice.

Just three years later, the 1906 earthquake brought down the church's tall spire, wrecked its front and damaged the mosaics and marble statues. The church was taken apart and rebuilt, reopening in 1913 without the spire. Jane Stanford never saw the damage; she had died in 1905. The 1989 earthquake closed the church again until 1992.

It was built as a nondenominational church, and it still hosts services, weddings and concerts. Check the website for open hours. Before you go in, look down: the plaques set in the walkway mark time capsules buried by each graduating class, starting with the class of 1896 right in front of the church.

Getting here: Walk east about 350 meters into the Main Quad through its west arcade and cross the inner courtyard to face the church.

Did you know?: The church has five pipe organs, so organists can play music from different eras on instruments suited to each style.

Photo op: Stand near the middle of the inner courtyard to fit the whole mosaic facade between the planting circles.

More on Wikipedia: Stanford Memorial Church · Jane Stanford · Leland Stanford · 1906 San Francisco earthquake

Memorial Church - Gold, Glass and a Fallen Spire

Stops on this tour