Muse — Lou Henry Hoover

• Former First Lady of the United States

• Moved to Palo Alto as a young girl

• First female geology major at Stanford University

• A family friend of the Clark family

• Encouraged Birge to design the post office in his Old California style, rather than the traditional stark government style

Design Inspiration —

Lou was a dedicated Stanford alum and returned to Palo Alto after her husband’s presidency. A longtime lover of Mediterranean Revival architecture. She established a friendship with the Clark family and is said to have been the one who told her husband to approve Birge’s post office design plans.