In the early 1950s, community interest prompted the university to recommend permanently reopening the museum. Finally, in 1954, the museum reopened, but its true revival occurred some years later under the leadership of Professor Lorenz Eitner, who became chair of the Department of Art & Architecture in 1963.
During the next 25 years, with the assistance of faculty, staff, and the Committee for Art at Stanford University, the galleries were refurbished, the collections strengthened, and a robust program of exhibitions, educational services, and publications put in place. The re-opening of the museum was part of the university's revitalization of the humanities under Stanford Dean Robert R. Sears.