Hammarskjöld

Hammarskjöld, the “house with the large front porch and tall columns,” is Stanford’s international-themed co-op. Located at 592 Alvarado Row, it is one of the smallest of the co-ops, with 33 total residents, including student leaders.

Hammarskjöld opened as the International Co-Op in the academic year 1973-1974, and is named after Dag Hammarskjöld, a former Secretary General of the United Nations. The plan for the house was initiated by several international students, in coordination with the Bechtel International Center, as a place to nurture their differences and explore their own experiences.

The theme of “International Understanding” is very important at Hammarskjöld. All residents agree to present a community project at some point during the year, and applicants are asked to submit possible ideas for community projects. This means that we have all the normal social events a row house would have (Special Dinner, room-warming, etc.), and each resident also gets to throw an international community project, which can be anything from watching a Bollywood movie, to throwing a Chinese New Year Party, to cooking a traditional Thai dinner.

Like many of the other co-ops, Hamm has a history of involvement in a range of social justice causes, both domestic and international. During student protests against Stanford’s investment in the apartheid South African government, Hammarskjöld was a vital meeting place for community organizers. Today, residents bond over a shared experience with international issues, participating in Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, Hindi/Urdu, Korean, and other language dinner tables and reflecting on recent international events.