ALZA Corporation | Palo Alto, CA

Visiting the ALZA Corporation in Silicon Valley 42 years after construction.

These photos provide an example of timeless architecture. Designed by Lawrence only five years after graduation (University of Illinois) while in the San Francisco office of McCue Boone Tomsick Architects, the ALZA Corporation was intended to provide a sophisticated public statement reflecting the advanced scientific research of the new company. The design concept was intended to encompass its 20,000 square foot administrative and state of the arts pharmaceutical research facility within an elegantly simple, energetic design that would stand the test of time.

Built in 1968-9, the building stands proud and handsome in Silicon Valley, fronting Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, California. It has become a ‘landmark ‘, in the words of ALZA’s founding president some 20 years later. Now 42 years old, the building remains vital and contemporary in its appearance and function. Only the fully grown trees suggest its timeless maturity.

Contractor: Lathrop Construction Company | Berkley, CA