At the head of the Lawn stands the focal point of Jefferson's design -- the Rotunda -- which served as the library. It was unique in that universities at the time all centered on a church or chapel.

The 78' wide dome-shaped Rotunda was inspired by Rome's Pantheon and is symbolic of the enlightened human mind. The Rotunda suffered a great fire in 1895; people ran into the burning building and rescued books, papers, and even the large statue of Jefferson (if you look carefully, the statue's cape has a chip in it that happened during the rescue).