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Parent of Sick Child
Architecture Raises Spirits

(Excerpt from a letter to administrators at Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto, California)

"Thank you for saving our son's life; that's the major point of this letter... It covers our first stay, when our son, Kenneth, was in Room 2347 for 21 days in December and January. My wife and I took turns staying with him...

The building itself is wonderful. I didn't realize, before this episode, how much architecture itself could raise my spirits. The wood floors and big windows in his room, the big windows (again), color scheme, and photographs in the public areas, all helped. Our son was delighted by the fountain; he went to see it every day he could walk around without his IV pole.

I noticed something nice, some little extra touch, that had cost extra but made our life easier, almost every day. Three random examples: the day bed in Kenneth's room was big enough to be comfortable, even though I'm six feet tall and sleep on my stomach; my toes didn't hang over the end. The bed had an adjustable reading light; I've read in bed since I was twelve and appreciated being able to do so at the hospital, easily. My wife and I both used the washer-dryer in the day room on the third floor; again, a small touch; again, it cost extra, again it made our lives easier. Thank you, architects.

All three of us liked the roof garden. I noticed especially the planters, one full of the little white flowers that smell like honey, the others full of brightly colored blossoms, right opposite the elevators. They are exactly the right height for someone three and a half feet tall, and you don't have to walk (or be carried) very far to enjoy them. We visited the roof garden every day it was sunny; toward the end, Kenneth was walking two or three laps a day. Kenneth and I explored a couple of terrace gardens, too, but he liked the roof garden best of all. It was wonderful to be able to get away from the hospital smells, into the sunshine and flowers..."

Jed Park