Architect Frederick Law Olmsted , who created the university 's first Master Plan , called for the university to be primarily housed in an inner and outer quadrangle . To design the quadrangle itself , the Stanfords in 1886 hired the firm of " the greatest American architect of his generation , " Henry Hobson Richardson . ( Richardson himself had died earlier that year , and his three main associates were carrying on his work as the firm Shepley , Rutan and Coolidge . ) This group of architects are noted for the Richardsonian Romanesque style , and features of that style including " round low arches , sturdy piers , massive walls , simple silhouettes , and sheltering roofs " are prominent in the Quad . The style was adapted to a California Mission theme . The primary building materials were local yellow sandstone and red tile roofs . The sandstone was quarried at the Graystone Quarry in San Jose , California , and transported to the building site via a private railway spur . Hundreds of laborers received the sandstone , cut it to size , dressed it , and finished it ; skilled stonecutters and sculptors , primarily from Italy , installed it and embellished it with friezes . Over the objections of the architects , the Stanfords insisted that the main entrance to the Quad be " a large memorial arch with an enormously large approach " . The arch was built and was topped with an elaborate frieze representing " The Progress of Civilization in America " ; however , the arch was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and was not rebuilt
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Main Quad (Stanford University)