 Stanford Mausoleum | |
 | |
| 37°26′11″N122°10′12″W / 37.43651°N 122.16989°W /37.43651; -122.16989 | |
| Location | Palo Alto, California, Us |
|---|---|
| Type | Mausoleum |
TheStanford Mausoleum, located in the Northwest of theStanford University campus in theStanford University Arboretum, holds the remains of the university's namesakeLeland Stanford, Jr. and his parentsLeland andJane Stanford.
Once per year, themausoleum 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.
The original intent of the Stanfords was to build a family mansion here. They had only gotten as far as planting acactus 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 (theAngel 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 sculptorWilliam Wetmore Story.
The mausoleum hassphinxes 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.
Stanford Mausoleum is also the site of the traditional Mausoleum Party, informally referred to as Maus, a studentHalloween 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.
