Baronial Toyon Hall is one of Stanford’s most historic residences. Originally built for 150 men in 1923, Toyon was a tarnished jewel when a Stanford-alumni-led architectural firm was entrusted with its restoration in 2000. Now returned to its original architectural integrity, Toyon Hall houses 164 students – primarily in two-room doubles.

Toyon also has some of the most elegant and comfortable lounges and study rooms of any residence on campus. One lounge has the capacity to accommodate more than 500 people and is usually a popular site for a capella concerts and other large events.

Polishing a Tarnished Jewel

In 2001, the Stanford alumni at Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, Inc. were entrusted with renovating 77-year-old Toyon Hall. The task proved more of a mission than a project. When receiving a statewide Preservation Design Award for the Toyon restoration in 2001, project principal Chris Wasney (’80) said, “The fact that so many of the key players were alumni contributed greatly to the team’s success, because we all felt a kind of ownership of the project and a heightened sense of professional responsibility.”

Bakewell and Brown, a prominent San Francisco architectural firm best known for its designs of San Francisco’s City Hall and the War Memorial Opera House, originally designed the 83,500-square-foot hall in 1923. When Toyon was renovated in 2000, builders restored the facade, installed a new roof, replicated historical light fixtures and landscaping, and integrated modern electrical, communications, mechanical, and fire/life safety systems into the building.

For information on the accessibility of residences for both living and visiting, please reference our Undergraduate Residences Accessibility Summary chart.

Furnishings