Stanford Kingscote Historic Gardens Renovation / Historic Kingscote Gardens, a lush retreat on Stanford's bustling campus, has been a residential apartment building since 1917; its colorful history ranges from a suspected haunting to inspiring a scandalous 1974 novel. Its next phase involves its conversion into centralized office space for student service resources along with seismic and code upgrades. JLJA worked closely with Architectural Resources Group and Stanford University to retain the grounds' unique appeal and established heritage trees while supporting Kingscote's new role on campus. Designed originally in the ‘English Country Estate’ style, the gardens consist of lawns, an oak grove, a diverse mix of specimen trees and plants, a fountain and pools, and reproduction ruins and stone ‘relics.’ Key design goals include preserving the site’s historical character with appropriate materials and scale, creating multi-use spaces for informal seating and large events, and enhancing sustainability for the entire site.

Location: Palo Alto, California
Client: Stanford University
Dates: 2014-current
Size: 1.42 acres
Cost: $500,000
Architect: Architectural Resources Group