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Stern Hall

Stern Hall - Residence Hall

Lucie Stern Hall, built shortly after World War II and renovated in 1995, represents Stanford’s brief departure into architectural modernism. Stern honors donor “Aunt Lucie” Stern, a popular local figure and friend of the University who often invited students to her Palo Alto house to make them feel at home.

Stern Hall consists of six small houses that accommodate about 100 students each, either in all-freshman or four-class buildings. Stern houses were originally named for California pioneers, such as horticulturalist Luther Burbank, mission founder Fra Junipero Serra, and mother lode author Mark Twain. Casa Zapata, named more recently reflects the Chicano/Latino cross-cultural theme program located at the complex.
The Houses
Burbank Casa Zapata* (Theme house)
Donner Larkin
Serra Twain
Contents

General Information

Accessibility

Furnishings

Common Areas

Stern Dining

 

Floor Plans

Heating Controls

History

Map

Residence Chart

General Information
Residence Name Stern Hall
Neighborhood Eastside
Street Address 618 Escondido Road, Stanford, CA 94305
Mailing Address

Mail is delivered to students’ Post Office boxes, assigned in early September.  Please note that the Post Office does not deliver student mail to the residences, only to the Post Office.  The Housing Front Desk cannot accept mail or packages for students. 

Here is a sample P.O. Box address.  Insert your unique P.O. Box number.

Jane Student
P.O. Box  12345
Stanford, CA 94309-2345

If you are having something shipped which requires a street address, please ship it to yourself, at your residence.

Housing Front Desk Stern Hall Housing Front Desk
Year Built 1948, 1955, 1958
Year Renovated 1995, 2008 (new bathrooms in Twain, Burbank,
Casa Zapata)
Class Configuration All freshman and four-class
Co-ed Type Co-ed by corridor (men and women live on the
same floor)
Custodial Service University managed
Dining Service

Located in the center of the Stern residential complex and serving students from Burbank, Donner, Larkin, Serra, Twain, and Casa Zapata (the Chicano theme house), Stern Dining is heavily influenced by the vibrant community that surrounds it. From the daily salsa bar to the rotating Latin American specials, the taste of the food is matched only by the beauty of the murals adorning the walls of the dining rooms. Adjoining the main service area, Stern's little brother, the Cyber Café, is the university's most popular after-hours eatery.

Construction For information on projects in, around, or near student housing facilities, please visit the Construction and Renovation page. For details and newsletters specific to the recent Stern projects, please click here.
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Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible for living   1st floor: Burbank
Casa Zapata
Larkin
Twain
Wheelchair accessible for visiting   Yes
Braille signage   Yes
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House Facts
Burbank

Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellows:

All Freshmen
Co-ed by corridor
Laura Harrison and Stephanie Eberle

Casa
Zapata*
Theme House

Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellows:
Theme:

Four-class house
Co-ed by corridor
Gina Hernandez and Chris Clarke Gonzales
Chicano/Latino Theme House
This cross-cultural house features theme programs exploring Chicano/Latino history and culture, and sponsors events like, Zoot Suit Week, Cinco de Mayo, and Dia de los Muertos. Pre-assignment to this residence requires an agreement to support the program. See pre-assignment and regular assignment information below.

Donner Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellow:
All Freshmen
Co-ed by corridor
Linda Paulson
Larkin Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellows:
All Freshmen
Co-ed by corridor
Patti Hanlon-Baker and Geoffrey Baker
Serra Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellow:
All Freshmen
Co-ed by corridor
Ross Shachter
Twain Configuration:
Co-ed type:
Resident Fellow:
All Freshmen
Co-ed by corridor
Linda Paulson

*Important Assignment Information

  1. Beginning 2009-2010, Residential Education is offering a pre-assignment system for Ethnic/Academic Theme and Focus Houses.
  2. If you intend to apply for pre-assignment to a participating Theme or Focus house (ie. Casa Zapata), you must understand that if you are granted pre-assignment, you automatically accept the pre-assignment and therefore are not eligible for the 2009 Housing Draw or other housing application periods.
  3. Eligibility for pre-assignment is determined according to publicized, objective criteria for each residence. See Residential Education for details or contact their office at 650-725-2800.
  4. Draw Assignment—Students may apply without pre-assignment. Through the Draw you can list on your application a special program house for which you are interested. When you apply you are
    1. agreeing to meet the pre-requisites,  
    2. expected to fulfill house requirements, and
    3. also indicating that you understand if you do not meet the pre-requisites for the house, your assignment can be cancelled when you reach the in-house draw, or you will be reassigned out of the house.
  5. Draw Assignment (for students applying to the non-focus portion of a Focus House): Students in the Draw – who are not interested in the special program and apply to the non-focus portion of a Focus House – you may obtain an assignment but are not required to participate in focus programs. These students may take part in other traditional dorm activities, such as trips to the City, movie nights, IMs, and study breaks.

Back to The Houses

Furnishings
General Bedroom Bathroom
Wall-to-wall carpeting Extra-long twin bed Separate bathrooms and showers for men and women are located on each floor.
Window coverings Desk and chair
High-speed internet access Wall-mounted bookshelves
Telephone and
telephone line
Dresser

 

Cable TV capability Mirror  
  Waste basket and
recycling bin
 

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Common Areas
Each house in Stern has its own lounge, dining room, and other common areas, providing popular gathering spaces for residents.
Sample Floor Plans
Double room - Top View
Back to Contents
History

Stern and the post-war building boom
Stern Hall is truly a beloved residence on campus, in part, due to Lucie Stern. Because of Lucie’s gifts and donations to Stanford University - including student loans, gifts to health services, Stern Hall, and a new Law School building – students, faculty, and staff have thrived and still carry on her spirit. Lucie also kept up continued correspondence and support for students she came to know, even after their graduation.

Today, Stern Hall's architectural style is often considered controversial at Stanford, but, when it was built in 1948, some saw it as a necessary shift toward modern architecture and planning. In his support of Stern and other building-boom projects at the time, Stanford President Donald Tresidder (1943-1948) called for “new educational buildings [that] will not…imitate, in steel and glass and concrete, the truly inimitable beauty of the stone-built quads…Rather we shall build with today’s materials, harmoniously, but of the present.”

Eldredge Spencer, a Beaux Arts-trained San Francisco architect, headed Stanford’s first planning office, established under Tresidder, and designed Stern. Abandoning Stanford’s familiar red-tile roofs and arcades, Stern organized the houses around small internal courtyards but provided for a central kitchen and dining facility. Faculty resident apartments and common areas in each house - particularly libraries and lounges - were meant to encourage interaction among students and faculty.
 
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