At 5:20 AM on April 20 , 1906 Durand was awakened by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . A marble statue of Louis Agassiz fell headfirst , piercing the concrete sidewalk . University president Jordan commented " Agassiz was always a hard-headed scientist . " Durand was appointed to a Board of Engineers tasked with clearing the ruins and making temporary repairs allowing the university to reopen in the fall . Stanford reopened in September for fall semester , and reconstruction was not completed until 1908
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
William F. Durand