Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at U.Va

Entries on This Tour

The Rotunda was designed by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. It is believed Jefferson was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in 1822 and was completed in 1826. In 1895 a fire destroyed the entirety of the wooden dome of the Rotunda and an Annex that had been added for additional classroom space. In 1898 the dome was rebuilt with a slightly modified design by Stanford White. The interior of the Rotunda was completely rebuilt in 1976 to reflect Jefferson's original design.

2. Pavilion I

Pavilion I is a historic building located within Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the University of Virginia. The structure adjoins the steps of the Rotunda steps on the west side. Completed in 1822, it was the fifth pavilion to be constructed. It features columnns topped by Doric capitals, central doorways on the first two floors, and a center chimney. It is distinguished by the Chinese-inspired trellis on its second floor.

3. The Lawn (U.Va)

The Lawn is a terraced, grassy court at the center of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village. The term "Lawn" also can refer to the original grounds designed by Jefferson for U.Va. It consists of four rows of colonnades, student/faculty housing, and several larger buildings, such as the Rotunda. The Lawn is a designated U.S. National Historical Landmark District and included as part of the Monticello UNESCO World Heritage Site.

4. Pavilion III

Pavilion III is a historic structure located within Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the University of Virginia. Completed in 1821, this building was constructed based on plans drawn by Jefferson in 1817 and inspired by the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome. Pavilion III's columnns are styled after the Corinthian order and feature Carrara marble capitals. Unlike most other pavilions at U.Va, this structure has not undergone any major structural additions or alterations and is one of only two pavilions that has not been enlarged.

5. Pavilion VII

Pavilion VII is the oldest building on the U.Va Lawn. Also called the Colonnade Club, this Pavilion houses a faculty club that features reception facilities and overnight guest rooms. As the first of ten, many architectural elements expressed by this structure carried over into the other Pavilions. James Monroe laid the cornerstone for Pavilion VII on October 6, 1817, during a ceremony attended by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.

6. Pavilion IX

Pavilion IX is located on the western edge of the Lawn, as are all odd-numbered Pavilions in U.Va's Jeffersonian Precinct. This Pavilion is notable as a departure from tradition as it incorporates elements of the French Neo-classic style. Thomas Jefferson collaborated significantly with noted architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe while designing Pavilion IX. The structure features wood "Chinese" rails along the colonnade's terrace-roof.

7. Cocke Hall

Cocke Hall is located on the Lawn of the University of Virginia campus. Designed by Standford White of McKim, Mead & White, this Jefferson Revival building was completed in 1898 as part of an effort to replace classroom space lost in a fire that gutted the Rotunda. Cocke Hall, named after an associate of Thomas Jefferson, originally housed the Mechanical Laboratory. Today, it is used as classroom and office space.

8. Blind Homer With His Student Guide (Sculpture)

Blind Homer With His Student Guide is a bronze sculpture by noted Jewish American soldier and artist Moses Jacob Ezekiel. It depicts the Greek poet Homer, author of the Illiad and the Odyssey, accompanied by an Egyptian student guide. The statue was completed and acquired by U.Va in 1907, along with a bronze of Thomas Jefferson. The Homer sculpture is located on "The Lawn" at the University of Virginia in front of Cabell Hall.

9. Old Cabell Hall

Old Cabell Hall is located at the south end of the Lawn on the University of Virginia campus. Constructed between 1895 and 1898, this structure was intended to replace lost classroom and auditorium space following the Rotunda fire of 1895. Originally called the "Academical Building," it was renamed in 1898 in recognition of Joseph Carrington Cabell for his service to the university. "New" Cabell Hall wraps around the 1898 building. Today, Cabell houses the Hall McIntire Department of Music and the Music Library, in addition to the University's primary lecture and concert hall.

10. Rouss Hall

Rouss Hall is located on the Lawn at U.Va and faces across from Cocke Hall. It was designed by noted architect Sanford White, who also designed Cabell and Cocke Halls. Following the fire at 1895 fire at the Rotunda, White was charged with creating academic buildings to replace the lost classroom and meeting space. The White buildings closed off the Lawn at the southern end and permanently defined its dimensions. Today, Rouss Hall and Robertson Hall house the McIntire School of Commerce.

11. Pavilion X

Pavilion X is located on the east side of the terraced lawn at the point where it makes its steepest drop. This Pavilion has a much narrower gallery than the others and features Greek-style columnns that sit flat on the ground. The cornice is decorated in the Doric style. Beginning in 2009, work began on restoring Pavilion X to more closely resemble its original appearance. The biggest change was the construction of an attic parapet, the original having been removed as early as the mid-1800s for unknown reasons.

12. Pavilion VIII

Pavillion VIII is one of ten Pavilions located on the edge of the Lawn at the University of Virginia. It is recognizable by its classical Corinthian motif. Though Thomas Jefferson was the primary designer of the original structures within the Academical Village, his notebooks attribute Pavilion VIII's design to the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The first resident of this building was Thomas Hewitt Key, Professor of Mathematics. Key, however, remained only two years before returning to his native England, reportedly upset by disorder amongst the students.

13. Pavilion VI

Pavilion VI is one of ten unique residential/educational structures lining the west and east sides of the Lawn at the University of Virginia. This building was designed by Thomas Jefferson as part of his Academical Village. It is distinguishable by the lack of a portico on its facade. It is instead fronted by one-story columnns of the colonnade. Double doors on its upper and lower levels flank double-hung windows. The centerpiece of Pavilion IV's garden is a stone spire sculpture that was presented by presented by Merton College, Oxford. The first resident of Pavilion VI was Thomas Hewitt Key.

14. Pavilion IV

Pavilion IV is one of ten pavilions on the Lawn of the University of Virginia. Like the other structures within the Academical Village (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), this pavilion was designed by Thomas Jefferson. It is modeled after the Temple of Albano in the south of Rome. The building is distinguishable by its coat of red paint, a legacy of its first occupant, George Blaetterman, Professor of Modern Languages.

15. Pavilion II

Pavilion II is a historical building located on the east side of the Lawn at the University of Virginia. It is situated directly across from Pavilion I at the base of the Rotunda steps. This structure was completed in October of 1822 and is styled after the Ionic order of the Roman Temple of Fortuna Virilis. In 1895, a bucket brigade saved Pavilion II from the fire that gutted the Rotunda.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at U.Va

Created by Angelica Garcia on March 29th 2017, 9:02:26 pm.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

Few have been as influential in the founding and the design of an academic institution as Thomas Jefferson was at the University of Virginia. His "Academical Village" was intended to become a community of students and faculty living and studying within an architecturally unified space. At the heart of this space, surrounded by buildings designed by Jefferson himself, is the Lawn. Framing the Lawn are ten pavilions representing each of the academic disciplines as conceptualized by Jefferson. At the north end is the world-famous Rotunda building, a half-scale model of the Pantheon. At the southern end are three structures designed by noted architect Sanford White. Internationally recognized as an architectural masterpiece, the Academical Village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Entries on This Tour

Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at U.Va

Description

Share