Stanford Mausoleum

The Stanford Mausoleum, located in the Northwest of the Stanford University campus in the Stanford University Arboretum, holds the remains of the university's namesake Leland Stanford, Jr. and his parents Leland and Jane Stanford.

Stanford Mausoleum
Stanford Mausoleum
37.43651°N 122.16989°W / 37.43651; -122.16989
LocationPalo Alto, California
TypeMausoleum
Sphinx in front of the Mausoleum

Once per year, the mausoleum is opened to the public and a wreath laid (usually in October during the reunion weekend) as part of the annual Founders' Day[1] activities.

History

The original intent of the Stanfords was to build a family mansion here. They had only gotten as far as planting a cactus garden (still present) before the death of their only son. They changed their plans to building a university in his name instead. Nearby is a memorial (the Angel of Grief) to Jane Stanford's brother, Henry Clay Lathrop. This memorial is a 1908 copy of a 1901 copy of an 1894 statue by the prominent American sculptor William Wetmore Story.

Appearance

The mausoleum has sphinxes on both the front and the back. The back ones are Greek and female with naked breasts. They were originally on the front but the Stanfords disapproved of them and replaced them with Egyptian style male sphinxes and moved the female sphinxes to the back.

Halloween Mausoleum Party
Halloween Party at the Mausoleum

Stanford Mausoleum is also the site of the traditional Mausoleum Party, informally referred to as Maus, a student Halloween party held each year at 10:00pm on the last[2][3][4][5][6] Friday or Saturday of October. After being temporarily cancelled from 2002 to 2005, this tradition was revived in 2006.[7] It is sponsored and planned annually by the Stanford Sophomore Class.

References
  1. "Founders' Celebration |".
  2. "Mausoleum Party October 31, 2009 (Saturday)". Stanford Class of 2011.
  3. "Mausoleum Party October 30, 2010 (Saturday)". Stanford Class of 2012.
  4. "Mausoleum Party October 28, 2011 (Friday)". Stanford Class of 2013.
  5. "Mausoleum Party October 26, 2012 (Friday)". Stanford Class of 2014.
  6. "Mausoleum Party October 26, 2013 (Saturday)". Stanford Class of 2015.
  7. "A Party to Die For". Stanford Magazine. Stanford Alumni Association. January–February 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stanford Mausoleum.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.