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Guide to the Stanford University, Committee on Land and Building Development, Records
SC0813
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Call Number: SC0813
Creator:
Stanford University. Committee on Land and Building Development
Title: Stanford University, Committee on Land and Building Development, records
Dates: 1950-1990
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear feet (3 boxes)
Summary: The collection primarily contains minutes, with some correspondence and reports. Occasionally the minutes include supporting
documents relevant to the business discussed and minutes from the sub-committee on faculty/staff housing are often included.
Specific projects covered in these records include the VA hospital, the Palo Alto Hospital, the Pine Hill Subdivision, the
fraternity clusters project, additions to the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), plans for the Cowell Student Health Center,
and the Peter Coutts faculty housing project.
Language(s): The materials are in English.
Repository:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064
Email: specialcollections@stanford.edu
Phone: (650) 725-1022
URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc
This collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least 48 hours in advance of intended use.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
[Identification of item], Stanford University, Committee on Land and Building Development, Records (SC0813). Department of
Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
The Committee on Land and Building Development is responsible for providing input and/or recommendations to the President
and other administrative officers on the planning and development of academic campus lands; on basic design guidelines for
architecture and landscaping; and planning for transportation services. Committee members include faculty, staff and students
representatives.
The collection primarily contains minutes, with some correspondence and reports. Occasionally the minutes include supporting
documents relevant to the business discussed and minutes from the sub-committee on faculty/staff housing are often included.
The records date from 1950 to 1990, but records from the 1960s only cover the years 1963-1966.
In the 1950s the Committee was particularly active in allocating Stanford land for new construction. The major projects undertaken
by the committee in this period include the VA hospital, the Palo Alto Hospital and the Pine Hill Subdivision. A reoccurring
issue with the committee was the leasing of land, and what the stipulations for payment and accountability would be.
Business before the committee in the 1960s included the fraternity cluster project, additions to the Stanford Linear Accelerator
(SLAC), plans for the Cowell Student Health Center, and assigning parcels of land for future sub-divisions.
In the 1970s the committee was especially concerned with providing low/moderate income housing for Stanford faculty and their
families. The Peter Coutts Project was the focus of much of their energies. Economic feasibility, house size and ensuring
that the elementary schools could support the resident population were just a few of the issues that the committee considered
during their deliberations. Another residential area that was developed during this time was Escondido Village. In 1976 the
committee reviewed the proposal for the Positron Electron Project, a $78 million dollar project that would expand the already
existing Stanford linear accelerator.
The meeting minutes for the later years of the Land and Building Development Committee show that the construction on and around
campus slowed dramatically. During the second half of the 1980s the committee was mainly concerned with the upkeep and improvement
of existing structures on campus. Parking and adequate lighting along footpaths were the most common improvements undertaken
during this period. However, plans for an 8500 square foot child center were passed, as well as a proposal for the Green Earth
Sciences Building.
Overall, many of the committee's decisions were concerned with allowing campus growth while maintaining many of principles
and ideas that the university was founded upon. For example, in the 1980s the committee designed the Cardinal Plaza, located
on the corner of Sam MacDonald and Eucalyptus Roads. It was designed as a place for tailgating, picnics, meetings, and fundraising
events. The original plan was defeated by a vote of 3 to 2 because the committee felt that the design, which emphasized extensive
brickwork, clashed with the historic "farm" feel of the campus that the committee sought to preserve. Later the plans were
redrawn so that the plaza embodied the "farm" feel that Stanford is known for and was approved by the committee.
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Stanford University. Committee on Land and Building Development
Campus planning--California--Stanford
Land use--California--Stanford