Overview

The Chemistry Building #1 shared elements of the Richardsonian Romanesque style employed in Stanford University's original Quad buildings, erected between 1887 and 1906. It retained the Romaneue arches, fenestration patterns and proportions, rough ashlar sandstone masonry and decorative details, seen particularly in the column capitals and rondels, of the earliest campus buildings. The building functioned for 86 years until the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 10/17/1989, when it administrators were forced to cut off access. It remained locked-down for about 25 years. A $66.7 million renovation culminated in the reopening of the building in 01/2017.

Building History

Architects Clinton Day (1847-1916) and Charles E. Hodges (1864-1944) designed the Chemistry Building #1 at Stanford University. Day had designed the Chemistry Building at the University of California, Berkeley, completed in 1891, and, therefore, had experience designing this highly-specific building type. He worked with Hodges who designed a number of other buildings on the Stanford campus during its earliest days.

Due to generous donations made by Shari and Rick Sapp, Stanford administrators could plan the building's renovation into the Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning. The renovated building opened for the Fall Quarter, 2016. This renovation was supervised by CAW Architecture of San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA. Degenkolb Engineers served as structural engineering consultants.

Building Notes

The Old Chemistry Building was vacated in 1986, and declared off-limits after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Before the quake, "Old Chem" was open and visitors could stroll through the interior, but not after the quake. Tall, chain-link fencing surrounded the building discouraging visits.

It remained empty for over 30 years. Due to its vacancy during the 1989 quake, the Old Chemistry Building was not eligible for FEMA grant money for rebuilding. A Facilities Analysis Study was written in 1998, recommending reuse of the historic structure.

Alteration

In the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 04/18/1906, the Chemistry Building received significant but not catastrophic damage. Portions of the front facade fell, and interior fume hoods collapsed, but the building performed better than the destroyed Library and Gymnasium, built contemporaneously. Workers restored the Chemistry building during the summer of 1906, and it was reoccupied that year.

In 1960, the building was remodeled.

A $66.7 million renovation occurred during the mid-2010s and concluded in 01/2017. During this renovation major changes were made to the interior and exterior. Most visible, was the removal of

PCAD id: 7880