STANFORD MEMORIAL CHURCH (1903)
CHARLES A. COOLIDGE
Stanford Memorial Church was built between 1899 and 1903 by Jane Stanford in memory of her late husband. A space had been left for the church in the design of the Inner Quadrangle (1887-91), but construction was delayed when Leland Stanford’s death threw the University finances into turmoil in 1893. After legal problems were resolved in her favor, Mrs. Stanford hired San Francisco architect Clinton Day to update conceptual drawings for the church made in 1887 by Charles Allerton Coolidge of Boston. Coolidge, who had studied under the renowned H. H. Richardson, loosely modelled the Memorial Church on his mentor’s design for Boston’s Trinity Church. Memorial Church exhibits the rough-hewn stonework, low arches, round turrets, and heavy red tile roofs characteristic of the rest of the Quad but also makes extensive use of decoration, including its famous mosaics, stained glass windows, and intricate carvings.
CHARLES A. COOLIDGE
Stanford Memorial Church was built between 1899 and 1903 by Jane Stanford in memory of her late husband. A space had been left for the church in the design of the Inner Quadrangle (1887-91), but construction was delayed when Leland Stanford’s death threw the University finances into turmoil in 1893. After legal problems were resolved in her favor, Mrs. Stanford hired San Francisco architect Clinton Day to update conceptual drawings for the church made in 1887 by Charles Allerton Coolidge of Boston. Coolidge, who had studied under the renowned H. H. Richardson, loosely modelled the Memorial Church on his mentor’s design for Boston’s Trinity Church. Memorial Church exhibits the rough-hewn stonework, low arches, round turrets, and heavy red tile roofs characteristic of the rest of the Quad but also makes extensive use of decoration, including its famous mosaics, stained glass windows, and intricate carvings.
© Alan John Ainsworth Photography
