On this page
Most people who visit Stanford never see its most famous modern building. The Hanna House, also called the Hanna-Honeycomb House, stands on a quiet hillside south of the Main Quad among faculty homes and oak trees. Frank Lloyd Wright designed it in 1936 for a young professor and his wife. It was his first building in the Bay Area and the first in which he abandoned the rectangle altogether.
The house is a National Historic Landmark owned by the university. Until recently Stanford ran small public tours of it. As of November 1, 2026, those tours are paused while the house is repaired and conserved. This page covers what makes the house important, how it survived the 1989 earthquake, what Stanford says about tours and how to fit a look at Wright's work into a campus visit. For the wider campus story, read our Stanford architecture guide.
Tour status for late 2026
Start here if you are planning a trip around the house. Stanford's Hanna House tours site says the house "is temporarily closed for repairs and conservation projects" and that a reopening date for public tours has not yet been determined. It lists no schedule, ticket price or booking link while the closure lasts.
The site invites people to email [email protected] to receive a message when tours open for booking. Tours are handled by Stanford's Heritage Services office, whose mailing address is in Redwood City. That address is an office, not a visitor entrance, so do not head there expecting to see the house.
When tours ran in the past they were small, docent-led and booked ahead. A 2013 Stanford Daily article described a Cantor Arts Center docent leading weekend tours. In 2023 Stanford's events calendar listed Hanna House tours as part of Doors Open California. We could not confirm the format, price or days of any future tours, so check the official site before you plan around one.
Paul and Jean Hanna
Paul and Jean Hanna were both educators who specialized in childhood education. Both were long associated with Stanford. They had three children and wanted to own a home that could change as the family grew. Wright's answer was a plan that could be rearranged over time.
Construction began in 1937. The family moved in during 1938, before every part was finished. Over about 25 years Wright returned to help the Hannas adapt the house. When the children left home, walls came out to open up living and work space. A guesthouse, a hobby shop, a carport and a garden house with pools and a small water cascade were added around the main house.
The project ran well over budget. Wikipedia, citing the house's history, gives an original budget of $15,000 that grew to more than $37,000. Wright's plans had also assumed flat ground, while the lot sloped, so floors and terraces had to be stepped to follow the hill.
The Hannas lived in the house for close to four decades. Stanford's tour site says they gave it to the university in 1975, while some other accounts say 1974. Four Stanford provosts lived there afterward.
The honeycomb design
The house is laid out on a grid of hexagons. Every corner of the plan turns at 120 degrees and Stanford says the floor plan has no right angles. That one decision changes how the rooms feel. Walls open at wide angles, so spaces flow into each other instead of meeting in boxy corners. Stanford calls the house a turning point in Wright's career and links it to his later work, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
It is usually grouped with Wright's Usonian houses, his attempt to design good homes that middle-class families could afford. Stanford's site describes that aim directly. The Hanna House is larger than most Usonians, but it shares their habits:
- Simple materials. Redwood board and batten, common San Jose brick, concrete and plate glass.
- One main level. About 3,570 square feet on one story, with a clerestory lighting the center of the house.
- Built into the land. The house steps down its roughly 1.5 acre hillside rather than sitting on top of it. The builders kept a cypress and an oak that were already on the site.
- Open plan. Living spaces run together and face outward to terraces and gardens.
The American Institute of Architects later named the house as one of 17 Wright buildings it considered most worth preserving.
Earthquake damage and restoration
The house was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989. Less than four months later the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. The shaking did severe damage. Wikipedia notes that the foundation and the chimney were essentially unreinforced and could have collapsed if the quake had lasted longer.
Repairing it was slow because so little about the structure was standard. The work took about ten years and added seismic reinforcement while keeping Wright's materials and details. Stanford says the house reopened to the public in 1999. After the earthquake the house's governing board decided it would serve more as a museum than a residence. Our page on the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake covers what else the quake did to campus and town.
Wright's echo in Palo Alto
The Hanna House never had a Wright twin nearby, but its ideas spread through the neighborhoods below it. Joseph Eichler is often said to have been inspired by living in a Wright house in Hillsborough before he started building. Palo Alto ended up with about 2,700 Eichlers, with their glass walls, post-and-beam frames and open plans facing private gardens. Our Eichler history and our guide to mid-century modern Palo Alto trace that line.
Two other campus houses make a good pairing. The Lou Henry Hoover House, finished in 1920 and designed largely by Lou Henry Hoover herself, sits on the same hills about a third of a mile away. Both are National Historic Landmarks and both are closed to drop-in visitors. Seeing their flat roofs and terraces within a few minutes of each other shows how early Stanford's faculty hills experimented with modern living. Our historic homes guide covers more listed houses in town.
Getting there and parking
The house is at 737 Frenchman's Road in the faculty residential area on the hills south of the Main Quad. Stanford's campus map is the easiest way to find it. Streets here are narrow, curving and lined with private homes.
- By car. Visitor parking on campus is paid through ParkMobile in marked zones. Faculty streets have limited parking, so follow the posted signs and do not park in driveways. Our Stanford parking and transit guide explains zones and payment.
- By shuttle. The free Marguerite shuttle links the Palo Alto Caltrain station with the campus. Its main lines run Monday to Friday only. See our Marguerite guide for routes.
- On foot or by bike. From the Main Quad the walk uphill takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Bikes are the way most residents get around this part of campus.
Accessibility and etiquette
The house follows its slope, with floors and courtyards at different levels. Stanford's tour site does not publish accessibility details for the house or its grounds. If you need step-free access when tours resume, ask the tour office when you book.
While the house is closed, treat it like any private home on campus:
- Stay on the public road. Do not walk up the drive, onto terraces or into the garden.
- Keep your voice down. Neighbors are faculty families.
- Do not fly drones. Stanford bans visitor drones across campus.
- Take photos only from the street and do not point cameras into neighboring homes.
Good to know
- As of November 1, 2026, public tours are paused with no reopening date.
- Email [email protected] to get word when booking opens.
- Stanford's Hanna House site also links to an online archive exhibit, a useful stand-in while the doors are shut.
- Much of the house is screened by trees, so expect only glimpses from the road.
What is nearby
The faculty hills sit close to some of the campus's best walks. The paved loop of the Dish starts a short drive or a longer walk away across Junipero Serra Boulevard. Downhill, the Main Quad, Memorial Church and the free museums fill an afternoon. Our visiting Stanford guide pulls the main sights together. If you are staying overnight to catch a tour once they return, you can compare hotels near Stanford along El Camino Real and in downtown Palo Alto.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tour the Hanna House at Stanford?
Not right now. Stanford's Hanna House tours site says the house is temporarily closed for repairs and conservation projects and that no reopening date for public tours has been set. You can email [email protected] to be told when tours open for booking.
Who designed the Hanna House?
Frank Lloyd Wright designed it in 1936 for Stanford professor Paul Hanna and his wife Jean, who both worked in childhood education. Construction began in 1937. It was Wright's first work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Why is it called the Honeycomb House?
Wright laid out the whole house on a grid of hexagons, so the rooms meet at 120 degree angles instead of right angles. From above the plan looks like a honeycomb. Stanford says the floor plan has no right angles.
Is the Hanna House a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1978. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989. A few months later the Loma Prieta earthquake badly damaged it.
Can I see the Hanna House from the street?
The house sits on a private hillside lot in a faculty neighborhood and much of it is screened by trees. If you walk past, stay on the public road, keep noise down and do not go up the drive or onto the grounds.