Hoover Tower - A Library Standing on End

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

The 285-foot tower ahead has been Stanford's tallest landmark since 1941, when it was finished for the university's 50th anniversary. Architect Arthur Brown Jr., who also designed San Francisco City Hall, based it on the tower of the New Cathedral of Salamanca in Spain.

It is really a library standing on end. Herbert Hoover, who graduated with Stanford's first class in 1895, gathered a huge collection of documents about World War I and its aftermath and gave it to his old school. The lower floors hold library stacks for the Hoover Institution, which still runs the tower today.

Near the top hangs a carillon. Its first 35 bells were cast in Belgium for the Belgian pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair; when war overran Belgium, they came to Stanford instead. Today there are 48.

An observation deck about 250 feet up has wide views over the campus and, on clear days, toward San Francisco. There is a small fee and it closes during academic breaks, so check current hours.

Getting here: Walk northeast about 350 meters from White Plaza to the base of the tower.

Did you know?: Lightning has struck the tower more than once: in 1970 a bolt knocked a 300-pound concrete ornament from the top, and in 2020 another strike shattered the concrete ball at its tip.

Photo op: Step back from the base until the whole tower, dome and all, fits in a vertical shot.

More on Wikipedia: Hoover Tower · Hoover Institution · Herbert Hoover · Arthur Brown Jr.

Hoover Tower - A Library Standing on End

Stops on this tour