Spaces / The Peter W. Stanley Academic Quadrangle
Landscapes of the Mind

By Erika Gamst '01

At the dedication of the redesigned quadrangle that now bears his name, former Pomona College President Peter W. Stanley fondly recalled his morning and afternoon walks through the Pomona grounds. “The campus, and the people I knew here, became ineradicably a part of me—landscapes of my mind, landscapes of my heart,” he said. “No matter where I am or what I am doing, the warmth of those memories fills my life, every day.”

Flanked on three sides by Crookshank, Mason and Pearsons halls, the Peter W. Stanley Academic Quadrangle, previously known as “the academic quadrangle,” now boasts fresh landscaping and added amenities to go with its new name. The popular space was dedicated on Commencement Weekend in May in honor of the College’s eighth president.

President David W. Oxtoby spoke about the significance of the occasion, as did Stewart R. Smith, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Stanley, who led the College from 1991 to 2003.

The dedication capped a series of building renovations that began in 2002. Pearsons and Crookshank halls were refurbished, enlivening the spaces for the classics, English, media studies, philosophy and religious studies departments. Completed in January, Mason Hall underwent transformation at breakneck pace and now houses the departments of Asian languages and literatures, German and Russian, history, and romance languages and literatures, as well as the new Foreign Language Resource Center. The revamp of the 1923 structure included seismic upgrades, energy efficiency improvements, installation of an elevator and modernization of classroom, office, lounge and language laboratory spaces.

The redesign of the quad brought each of these three venerable halls its own signature garden space that acts as a transition from the building’s entrance. Turf was reduced by 5,000 square feet and drought-tolerant plants were brought into the landscape. Outdoor teaching and social spaces are also part of the quad, including a new pergola, barbecue, table and seats. Walkways intersect at a water fountain in the center of the quadrangle, pulling the academic buildings together visually.

“This campus is forever a part of the people who worked and studied here," Stanley told a crowd of alumni, trustees, students and current and former faculty and administrators. “The extraordinary gift you have given me is that, now, I in turn will forever be part of the campus.”