Palo Alto Stanford Heritage |
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| Inventory photo | Photo taken June 14, 2015 |
The following is from the Historic Buildings Inventory as revised in 1985:
This is a building whose basic form, porch, and window detailing are essentially Colonial Revival, but the horizontal emphasis of the ground floor siding and the clearly articulated horizontal separation between the first and second floors make allusions to the Prairie School mode. It was enlarged on the ground floor left of the entry.
This handsome home demonstrates the versatility of the Colonial Revival style in the hands of a skillful designer. It was built for Professor Albert W. Smith, chairman of the mechanical engineering department at Stanford, and his wife, Mary Roberts Smith, associate professor of social sciences. Before their separation in 1904 they collaborated on studies which sought to increase the convenience and efficiency of women's domestic work. He later became a dean at Cornell University. She remarried in 1906 and with her husband, Dane Coolidge, studied and wrote of the Southwest Indians and became a nationally-known writer and lecturer in the fields of sociology— particularly women's studies—, economics, social welfare and charitable agencies. Before leaving Palo Alto, she was a leader in developing the city library, and is credited with the music of the Stanford hymn, "Hail, Stanford, Hail." In 1903 she headed the San Francisco Settlement House established by Phoebe Hearst. Later she was president of the California Civic League of Women, in connection with her support of women's suffrage and women's rights. From 1918-1964 it was the home of Norman and Stella M. Schofield. He was the head of the State Bureau of Marine Fisheries for 42 years. She started the first Palo Alto Girl Scout troop and throughout her life was a generous supporter of scouting.
In 1985, the owner was Donald A. Way.
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| Location map |
This house was built in 1902 and is a Category 3 on the Historic Buildings Inventory. The architect was A. W. Smith of Oakland and the builder was Gustav Laumeister. The property measures 100 by 200 feet.
Sources: Palo Alto City Directories; Palo Alto Times 4/11/02, 7/4/02, 8/21/03, 12/9/39, 4/14/45, 7/11/47; Palo Alto AAUW, ...Gone Tomorrow?, p. 41
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