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Evolution of a place and a plan for its future

Through a robust community engagement process, Stanford is re-imagining the White Plaza area of campus as a dynamic new campus hub, with communal spaces that enrich daily life for the university community and complement our academic enterprise. 

White Plaza has long been a place for students to express their viewpoints through protests and to gather for rallies, job fairs, and student club events. White Plaza and the fountain popularly known as “The Claw” were built in 1964. Resources to support student life – residential living, health and wellness, international students, community, and public service centers – are centrally located in this area. The hub of Stanford’s student-led communities, including the governing body, is located at Old Union, originally built in the 1920s, and nearby Tresidder Memorial Union offers eateries, gathering space, and services.

The concept of a town center in this area emerged from Stanford’s 2017 Long Range Vision. In 2019, a design team including students, faculty, staff, and trustees began planning. A community engagement process gathered feedback and ideas from various stakeholders and community members through meetings and focus groups. This input included more than 800 comments from community members, 50 informal conversations, 15 focus group sessions, and eight committee meetings.

These discussions revealed a preference for a vibrant campus center with a comfortable scale and casual identity that reflects both iconic campus experiences and the energy of today’s university community. 

Slowed by the pandemic, the Town Center Project is now being reinvigorated. Community members are being reengaged, building on the previous planning work to validate, refine, and further the program that will inform the plan. The project is deeply connected to Stanford’s academic mission and is one of the many initiatives focused on implementing the university’s Long-Range Vision.

An Advisory Committee is leading these efforts, guided by principles of intellectual vitality, culture, and engagement that will celebrate the Stanford of yesterday and today, adaptability to respond to changing needs over time, and fiscal, environmental, and social sustainability.