Visit Hoover
Founded by Herbert Hoover in 1919, the Hoover Institution is a public policy think tank that seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind.
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution is located on the campus of Stanford University. Its facilities house the offices of the Institution’s fellows and staff; the world-renowned Library & Archives, which includes 1 million volumes and 6,000 collections available for scholarly research; and state-of-the art event venues, where the Institution presents its policy conferences, academic symposia, and public programming.
Hoover Tower
Hoover Tower is the historic home of the Library & Archives and the Lou Henry Hoover Observation Deck and Carillon. Visitors can view portions of the collection in the ground floor exhibition galleries and see the historic Belgian carillon on the 14th floor observation deck, which also offers panoramic views of the surrounding area. The central floors of the tower contain offices and purpose built stacks which hold part of the Library & Archives collections, but are closed to the public.
Library & Archives
Founded by Herbert Hoover in 1919, the Hoover Institution Library & Archives is dedicated to documenting war, revolution, and peace in the 20th and 21st centuries. With nearly 1 million volumes and more than 6,000 archival collections from 171 countries, the Library & Archives supports a vibrant community of scholars and a broad public interested in the meaning and role of history. The Library & Archives’ collections are accessible within the reading room, located in the Herbert Hoover Memorial Building, and digitally at our Washington DC office and online through our digital collections.
Hoover in Washington, DC
Hoover’s branch office in Washington, DC, is equipped to execute the two core functions of the Institution itself: policy research and outreach. Its purpose is to promote the academic work of Hoover fellows and to facilitate the engagement of fellows in the policy conversations that take place in the nation’s capital.
David and Joan Traitel Building
David and Joan Traitel Building houses the administrative headquarters and conference facilities of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Staff offices are on the top floor. The ground floor features the 400-seat Hauck Auditorium, named in honor of Everett “Sparky” Hauck and his wife, Jane; and Blount Hall, a dining and multipurpose room for 440 people, named in honor of Bill Blount.
George P. Shultz Building
The George P. Shultz Building, inaugurated in Spring 2024, revitalizes Hoover's research facilities while honoring the esteemed legacy of the late secretary of state George P. Shultz. Spanning 55,000 square feet, the building fosters deeper collaboration among Hoover fellows and visitors, featuring three levels of offices for Hoover fellows and support staff, convening space, and a state-of-the-art digitization studio enabling greater access to Library & Archives collections. The building's architecture blends limestone and bluff-colored precast concrete, deep-set windows, modern arch treatments, and a hipped clay tile roof. Additionally, newly hardscape provides connections with pre-existing structures and the grove to the north.
Stanford, CA
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
Hours: M-F 8 AM -5 PM PST
Washington, DC
1399 New York Avenue NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Hours: M-F 8 AM -5 PM EST
Maps, Directions & Parking
The Hoover Institution is located on the campus of Stanford University, between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose, California. As the below map indicates, the four main buildings that make up the Hoover Institution’s facilities are located near the corner of Galvez and Serra Streets, to the east of the Main Quad and Oval.
The Hoover Tower is home to the Hoover Library and also features a popular observation deck on the 14th floor with views of the surrounding area. The Herbert Hoover Memorial Building houses the Hoover Archives and a number of offices for resident fellows. The David and Joan Traitel Building houses the main administrative offices of the Institution.
Parking
Permit parking is generally monitored Monday–Friday, 6am–4pm and metered parking is monitored Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm.
Please read posted signs carefully as there are exceptions to these rules.
Stanford Parking / Campus Map
Contact Us
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