Anderson Collection at Stanford University to be displayed in an elegant new home

By Robin Wander

The Anderson Collection at Stanford University has reached another on-schedule milestone in the trek toward beginning construction this summer and opening its doors in 2014. The Stanford Board of Trustees approved Ennead Architects' building design at their meeting this week.

The Anderson Collection is one of the largest and most outstanding private collections of post-World War II American art in the world. The collection has been built over the last 50 years by Bay Area residents Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson, affectionately known as "Hunk" and "Moo," and by their daughter, Mary Patricia Anderson Pence, affectionately known as "Putter."

The trustees also took a step forward with the McMurtry building for the Department of Art and Art History. Renderings for that project are anticipated before the end of the month.

"The building for the Anderson Collection at Stanford University and the McMurtry building are magnificent, much-needed additions to this campus," said Leslie Hume, chair of the Board of Trustees, in December. "Like the Cantor Arts Center and Bing Concert Hall, they make tangible Stanford's commitment to the arts and the central role of the arts in a liberal education. As you arrive on campus and enter this wonderful arts district, you will know immediately that the arts are important to Stanford."

Renderings of the Anderson building reveal contemporary design that contributes to the distinct architectural character of the Stanford arts district. A clerestory roof element crowns a substantial rectilinear building mass that houses the second level galleries.

The sculptural gallery provides a variety of ceiling heights and scaled spaces. An open glass lobby and grand stair to the main gallery level provides a welcoming and dynamic entrance into the two-story venue.

The distinguished tripartite building is a testament to the transformative gift of artwork from the Andersons, a gift that stands to advance arts education and contribute significantly to the cultural landscape.

Ennead partners Richard Olcott and Timothy Hartung lead the design team. They describe how the design positions exhibition spaces on the second floor below an undulating ceiling: "The gentle slope of the ceiling and the continuous translucent clerestory at the perimeter of the building bring diffused natural light into the galleries from above. A grand, shallow central staircase will serve as an extension of the gallery walls, allowing visitors to view art as they gradually ascend from the lobby to the main galleries above."

The 33,327-square-foot building has been carefully sited in order to complement the Cantor Arts Center and surrounding landscape and to encourage physical connections between the two venues.

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Anderson Collection at Stanford University to be displayed in an elegant new home