About Stanford Rowing & Sailing Center
For close to a century, the shores of Redwood City have been home to Stanford Crew. In 1905, Stanford undergraduates recognized the need for a boating club and constructed the first boathouse for intercollegiate competition. With the donation of rowing shells from the Universities of California, Washington and Cornell, Stanford Crew was formed. From this humble beginning, the Cardinal has moved into the next millennium.
The Cardinal crews now take advantage of the facility everyday. The two story complex has five boat bays, over 16,000 square feet of space, locker rooms, a conference room/banquet hall/training room area, a laundry room, a history room, and a kitchen area. Outdoor elements will not be a factor as the boathouse is designed to adapt to varying tidal depths. The enduring space that the boathouse provides will give rowers a comfortable off-campus home.
"Our Rowing and Sailing Center gives student-athletes the ideal respite from academia and enhances the quality of rowing," noted Men's Head Coach Craig Amerkhanian. "It works as a wonderful gathering place for Cardinal rowers, past and present. The competitive atmosphere that only a boathouse provides will resonate in its halls."
Lee Ashby of Hoover Associates and Vance Brown served as the Rowing and Sailing Center architect and contractor, respectively. The exact needs of the Stanford rowing community will be maintained and upheld in the new facility.
The construction of the Rowing and Sailing Center would not have been possible without the financial contributions of Stanford Crew supporters. The team and coaching staff recognize and appreciate their involvement.
In the rapid development of the region, Stanford Crew's foundation is secure. Still located in the port of Redwood City, the Stanford stamp of excellence is even brighter. Placed across from the Bair Island nature conservatory, the Boathouse stands looking out towards San Francisco Bay, a permanent symbol of tradition and teamwork in the thriving business community it inhabits.
