Stanford Mausoleum: A Memento Mori Comes To Life
In the spring of 1884, railroad magnet Leland Stanford and his wife Jane lost their son Leland Jr. to typhoid. The grieving parents decided to found a university in Leland Jr.’s memory. Using the land intended for their country estate’s home and garden, the Stanfords built a university for the future of others’ children. A Mausoleum to inter the remains of young Leland Stanford, Jr. and his parents was included in the grounds design.
The campus’s Mission Revival buildings were designed by the Boston based architect, Charles Allerton Coolidge. New York’s Central Park creator, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned as the landscape architect for the coeducational campus. Originally meant to be the cynosure of the university’s layout, the Stanford mausoleum was finally erected in the northwest of the campus, surrounded by the arboretum and Arizona Cactus Garden. At the behest of Mrs. Stanford, two Greek sphinxes were erected to guard the entrance of the mausoleum. However, the bare breasted female figures were deemed inappropriate and moved to the back of the building. They were replaced by two male, Egyptian-style sphinxes.
When the earthquake of 1906 damaged most of the buildings on campus, the mausoleum was spared. Unfortunately, beginning in the 1920’s, the cactus garden was allowed to wither and fall into disrepair. In the late 1990’s, conservation work was begun to restore the garden. Today, original plantings are still cultivated in the beds. At the same time, the Mausoleum was reclaimed from lichen and moss. A copy of William Wetmore Story’s famous Angel of Grief (originally commissioned in memory of Jane Stanford’s youngest brother) was restored and moved nearer to the monument in 2001.
The Arboretum surrounding the Mausoleum has also been conserved. Crape Myrtles and Paperbark Maples were transplanted to the site in the 1990’s. The original, indigenous oaks are still found, as well as various species of eucalyptus, ancient Yucca trees, and, among others, a Canary Island Date Palm and red mulberry. With such a diversity of specimens, the Arboretum is a sanctuary for a diverse range of birds.
The founders’ request that the arboretum “always be retained in its present condition as a Park for drives and walks so long as the University exists” continues to be honored. The Mausoleum’s contemplative atmosphere is disturbed by the student-led Halloween revelries of the Mausoleum Party.
The Stanford Mausoleum is only open to the public one day out of the entire year, during the Founders’ Day activities every October. The arboretum and Arizona Cactus Gardens remain open to the public year round. A fitting tribute to a lost child, this memento mori has grown into a lush habitat, preserving and allowing life to flourish.
