Memorial Church

Memorial Church is home to many of the Department of Music’s ensembles including the Stanford Chamber Chorale, Stanford Symphonic Chorus, and Stanford University Singers. Memorial Church is also host to many other Department of Music groups and events throughout the year.

Stanford Memorial Church stands at the center of the campus and is the University’s architectural crown jewel. It was one of the earliest and is still among the most prominent, interdenominational churches in the West. Jane Stanford built the church as a memorial to her husband, Leland. Together, Senator and Mrs. Stanford had constructed the University as a memorial to their son, Leland, Jr.  

Directions to Memorial Church

Driving

  • From Highway 101 North & South: From Highway 101 take University Avenue exit west toward Palo Alto. Proceed on University Avenue through downtown to Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad.
  • From Highway 280 North & South: Take Sand Hill Road exit toward Menlo Park/Stanford. Continue east on Sand Hill Road for about 1.5 miles. Turn right on Santa Cruz then make an immediate left onto Junipero Serra Blvd. Proceed 0.5 miles and turn left on Campus Drive. Continue around the Campus Drive loop for 1.7 miles. Turn right on Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad
  • From El Camino Real: From El Camino Real turn west onto Palm Drive/University Avenue towards Stanford University. As you enter the University, University Avenue will turn into Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad.

Public Transit

  • By train/CalTrain: CalTrain is a commuter rail service that runs between Gilroy and San Francisco. There are two stops close to Stanford: one at the end of Palm Drive in downtown Palo Alto and another on California Avenue. More information
    • The Stanford shuttle, called Marguerite, meets most trains at both the Palo Alto and California Ave. stations from 6 a.m. to 7:45 p.m Monday – Friday.
  • From points south of Stanford (Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority): The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) runs buses to Palo Alto and south of Stanford. It also operates the light rail line in Santa Clara County. More information >>
  • From North of Stanford (SamTrans): SamTrans runs buses to most points north of Stanford. Five of their lines serve Stanford well. More information >>
  • From the East Bay (Dumbarton Express): The Dumbarton Express runs weekdays from the Union City BART station across the Dumbarton Bridge to the Palo Alto Caltrain station, where the Stanford shuttle, called Marguerite, meets most trains. More information >>

Memorial Church's Page for Directions

Parking Information

Parking

Parking is enforced Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. unless otherwise posted, with the exception of the Oval which is enforced until 6 p.m. The closest visitor parking to Memorial Church can be found on Roth Way, in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr), and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth Way and Campus Dr). The cost is $4.46 per hour. Credit cards are accepted.

  • For large events and services, please allow at least 30 minutes for finding parking and walking to Memorial Church.  For example, it takes about 15 minutes to walk from Parking Structure 1.

Please check parking signs carefully – “A,” “C,” and “shared” resident/commuter lots are enforced Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of the Oval. You are free to park in these areas after enforcement hours. For more information regarding visitor parking rates and locations, please visit the Stanford Parking and Transportation Services site.

Disabled Parking

Stanford honors any state’s disabled person placards in all marked parking spaces on campus, including meters, designated blue spaces (handicapped parking is conveniently located near all of our buildings), service vehicle spaces, and permit lots. Please visit our Information for the Disabled page.

Memorial Church's Page for Parking

Accessibility Information

Building Access

From the Oval, use the ramped path to the right of the steps to reach the arcade level.  Continue through Memorial Court past the Rodin Collection and MemChu is directly ahead.  The front entrance to the Church is up a set of three stairs.  There is an accessible entrance with an automatic door located on the east side of the building (if facing the main entrance, go around to the left side of the building).  This entrance will require assistance from the event House Manager or usher in the Church lobby to access.  Once through this entrance, continue through the door on the right to enter the main sanctuary of the Church.  There is also an accessible (step-free) entrance on the west side of the Church.  There is no elevator in Memorial Church. 

Restrooms

The accessible restroom is located just inside the accessible entrance to your left.

Parking and Transportation

The Marguerite shuttle stop is directly in front of the Main Quad.  Disabled parking is located at the top of the Oval on either side for closer access to the front of the Main Quad.  For closer access to buildings along the back end of the Main Quad, the closest parking is available at the end of Santa Teresa Street, near Duena Street, or in a small parking lot near Duena Street and Panama Mall.  There is a limited amount of disabled parking located behind MemChu via Duena Street (gate access code required). 

Contact the Diversity and Access Office at (650) 725-0326 or visit the Diversity and Access Office website for details.

Memorial Church ADA Map