Lack of mason Symbols At Stanford University and The Hoover Institute (Question)

For those of you who do not know, Stanford is one the top universities on the West coast of the US and the world in fact. It is also the home to the Hoover Institute which is a conservative think tank www.hoover.org...

Its notable members have included Condi Rice and George Schultz.

We were on a bike ride through the stanford campus (pics here www.stanford.edu...) and one thing became apparent. There were no mason symbols anywhere on the old buildings. None.

So was Herbert Hoover a Mason and why the lack of symbols all over the campus? Could they be hidden? You should have seen the look the historian in the info center at the Hoover Tower gave me when i asked where the Mason symbol was.

Also given Leland Stanfords wealth (about 1 billion in todays dollars) was he a mason? Curosry searches have revealed nothing

Okay Stanford was a mason according to this:

www.calodges.org...

If he truly was why the lack of symbols on campus. We spent hours looking for them.

If you click here you can see some use of symbols at the main entrance.

Just a question. Do Masons HAVE to place symbols in architecture?

Mostly 'cause being a Mason doesn't mean you have to scribble symbolism all of the place.
Sure, some do, and some don't.

There may be symbols, but they are often hidden. I attended the University of North Carolina for graduate school, which is a well-known and also highly prestigious school, and over the years found a few masonic cornerstones. I also found the layout of some of the buildings was intentionally meant to mimic the layout of a lodge, with the most important campus symbol (old well) as the altar.

I wouldn't have even found most of it, but some of the people from my lodge pointed it out to me.

So..if Stanford is anything like UNC..there may be masonic symbolism, its just not overt.

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
If you click here you can see some use of symbols at the main entrance.

Nice catch. The square at the entrance is obvious. Not too much of a stretch to see compasses slightly east-southeast of there.

If you follow the paths south from the square to the quad with the 8 tree clumps, that could reflect the situation of the lodge room, but that might be a bit far fetched.

Nothing else obvious at a quick glance.

And just because Stanford himself was a Mason doesn't mean that anything or everything he did had to reflect that. The university opened 2 years before he died, so I don't know how hands-on he was in the actual development or planning of all the buildings, or what changes or additions might have come later. I mean, the school opened in 1891. How many buildings on campus go back that far?

Herbert Hoover was not a Mason. J. Edgar Hoover was, but that has nothing to do with the Hoover Institute.

I have noticed the masonic stones placed in the northeast corner of a building that had some masonic ties. I am not sure why some buildings have the stone and some don't, I would be interested to find out. The stones are usually a white block with engraving on it. Our lodge has one, and several buildings in town have them.

reply to post by network dude


I think the stones are on buildings that have masonic dedications or whatever. I think it's a tradition in some places to have masons at building ceremonies for whatever reason.

reply to post by FredT


Out of curiosity, why where you looking for Masonic symbolism?

From the aerial views, I would say it might be safe to assume the architect in charge of the planning was a Mason for the blatant square and compass.

But if you where looking for obvious symbolism, I would look at door ways, building layouts, even which direction the front doors of the main building opens. All Masonic buildings face the same direction (or, they are supposed to rather) ..

But anyways, just because the campus is named after a Mason, and perhaps some men designing it where Masons, does not mean that there will be Masonic symbolism.

Personally, I find buildings built before the 1940's to have the most Masonic influence in them.. the Old Masonry where more esoteric and eccentric with placement of symbolism. The current Masonry imo doesn't really care for it.