Stanford Clock Tower
Encyclopedia
The Stanford Clock Tower with its attached, colonnaded pergola is located at the so-called “Circle of Death” at the corner of Escondido and Lasuen Malls on the campus of Stanford University
. It was built in 1983 by a donation from trustee William Kimball.
It holds the mechanical clock, built in 1901 by the Seth Thomas
Clock Company, which was originally housed in Stanford Memorial Church
’s large belfry. When the belfry collapsed in the 1906 earthquake
, the university preserved the chimes in temporary structures near the church, where they continued to chime the hours. (During the 1950s and 1960s the chimes were heard to strike 13 times at noon, possibly the result of a student prank.) In 1983 the clock and chimes were rehoused in the current clock tower.
The clock mechanism still needs to be hand-cranked once a week. In 1997 a new temperature-compensating pendulum designed by engineering students was installed to eliminate errors in time-keeping caused by temperature changes.
On May 10, 1983, when then-Stanford president Donald Kennedy
unveiled the new clock tower, he burst out laughing: the clock's west face had been covered with Mickey Mouse
's face and hands by an unknown prankster.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. It was built in 1983 by a donation from trustee William Kimball.
It holds the mechanical clock, built in 1901 by the Seth Thomas
Seth Thomas (clockmaker)
Seth Thomas was an American clock maker and a pioneer of mass production at his Seth Thomas Clock Company.-Biography:Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry...
Clock Company, which was originally housed in Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford Memorial Church is located at the center of the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. It was built during the American Renaissance by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband Leland. Designed by architect Charles A...
’s large belfry. When the belfry collapsed in the 1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, the university preserved the chimes in temporary structures near the church, where they continued to chime the hours. (During the 1950s and 1960s the chimes were heard to strike 13 times at noon, possibly the result of a student prank.) In 1983 the clock and chimes were rehoused in the current clock tower.
The clock mechanism still needs to be hand-cranked once a week. In 1997 a new temperature-compensating pendulum designed by engineering students was installed to eliminate errors in time-keeping caused by temperature changes.
On May 10, 1983, when then-Stanford president Donald Kennedy
Donald Kennedy
Donald Kennedy is an American scientist, public administrator and academic.Donald Kennedy was born in New York and educated at Harvard University...
unveiled the new clock tower, he burst out laughing: the clock's west face had been covered with Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
's face and hands by an unknown prankster.
Further reading
- Joncas, Richard, and David J Neuman, and Paul V Turner. Stanford University. Princeton Architectural Press. 1999. Pg 134.
- http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2005/4/28/towerClockToTickInTimeForAdmitWeekend