The Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation

The Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation
Opening Ceremonies Are Planned For 2005

Design and construction for the Stanford Mansion and its surrounding grounds represents a delicate balance between historical recreation in select areas and rehabilitation for adaptive use in others. The goal is to reflect the look and feel of the Mansion as it was at the time when the Stanford's lived and worked here and to add those features needed to support top-level protocol activities, as well as an active public tour program. The photographs taken at the request of the Stanford's by Eadweard Muybridge in 1872 provide a vivid record of the interiors of key rooms in the Mansion. Local newspaper and other photographs from the period depict the Mansion's exterior and gardens.

The interior design team for the rehabilitation of the Mansion used the Muybridge photos as their guide and were given the flexibility to adjust the furniture, as well as the inclusion, exclusion and placement of various pieces in each room to maximize support for protocol and tour activities. By contrast, three rooms in the Mansion were set aside for more exact recreations for viewing only. Those rooms include Jane Stanford's Bedroom, which also is the birth room of Leland Jr., namesake of Stanford University; Leland Jr.'s toy room; and a room representing the two major eras of the Stanford Home for Children – the period managed by the Sisters of Mercy and the following period managed by the Sisters of Social Service.

The design for the surrounding grounds includes the recreation of the original semi-formal gardens from the time of the Stanford's and a larger multi-purpose outdoor event area suitable for tented events, speakers and other activities developed on the adjacent lot. The barn, which is being recreated on its original location close to the main Mansion structure, serves as the Visitors Center, which includes the Mansion Gift Store, the Audio-Visual Center and the Interpretive Display Area.

The primary design, construction and special services teams for the Mansion include:

  • Architect: Page & Turnbull, Jay Turnbull, Steve Stark, Anath Ranon
  • General Construction: Reyman Brothers Construction Company
  • Interior Design: Paul L'Esperance Interior Design, Tom Carson, Carson Architects
  • Landscape Design: PGA Design
  • Landscape Installation: RMA Land Construction
  • Historic Consultant: Professor Hank Dunlop
  • Furniture Restoration: Alejandro Vizuette
  • Parks Project Manager/Architect: Maria Baranowski
  • Parks Project Curator: Christina Swiden
  • Parks Project Historian: Jay Correia
  • Foundation Contract Coordinator: Tony Browne

 






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