Guide to the Stanford University, Committee on Land and Building Development, Records

compiled by Stanford University Archives staff

Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Stanford, California

February 2011

Note

This encoded finding aid is compliant with Stanford EAD Best Practice Guidelines, Version 1.0.

Overview

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

Administrative Information

Information about Access

This collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least 48 hours in advance of intended use.

Ownership & Copyright

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.

Cite As

[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.

Description of the Collection

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.

Access Terms

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Stanford University. Committee on Land and Building Development

Campus planning--California--Stanford

Land use--California--Stanford

Box 1, Folder 1

Advisory Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes and correspondence, 1950-52, and reports and studies, 1952-53

Box 1, Folder 2

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes and correspondence 1952-1954

Box 1, Folder 3

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1954-1955

Box 1, Folder 4

Land and Building Development, correspondence 1956

Box 1, Folder 5

Land and Development, minutes 1956

Box 1, Folder 6

Land and Development, minutes 1957-1958

Box 2, Folder 1

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1963-1966

Box 2, Folder 2

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1970 Jan-Apr

Box 2, Folder 3

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1970 May-Oct 8

Box 2, Folder 4

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1970 Oct 15-Dec

Box 2, Folder 5

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1971

Box 2, Folder 6

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1972

Box 2, Folder 7

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1973

Box 3, Folder 1

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1974 Jan-Apr

Box 3, Folder 2

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1974 May-Nov

Box 3, Folder 3

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1975

Box 3, Folder 4

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1976-1979

Box 3, Folder 5

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1984-1985

Box 3, Folder 6

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1986

Box 3, Folder 7

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1987

Box 3, Folder 8

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1988

Box 3, Folder 9

Committee on Land and Building Development, minutes 1989-1990