University of Virginia Historic District

The district includes Jefferson's original "academical village" (constructed 1817-1827) with its classrooms and quarters, as well as the Rotunda--the focal point of Jefferson's design--and several buildings added by Stanford White. Jefferson's brilliant arrangement of the University buildings in the European neo-classical tradition of the period produced a collegiate complex that is among the most beautiful in the world.

The complex is situated on an elevated site, with a gentle slope running down toward the south. The original plan for the University consists of a U-shaped configuration of buildings, with the L-shaped Rotunda placed at the northernmost part of the curve. Rows of five pavilions with connecting dormitory rooms run along the east and west sides of the central Lawn and terminate at the foot of the Rotunda. Paralleling the two inner ranges are rows of outer ranges of dormitory rooms and eating facilities. The ground between the inner and outer ranges are devoted to gardens bounded by serpentine walls.

The Rotunda measures 78' wide and is designed of pure geometric shapes with dimensions one-half those of the Pantheon. The height of the dome is determined by the diameter of the plan. The ten pavilions represent the ten original separate schools, each with classrooms, professors' living quarters, and single story dormitories. The ten pavilions are connected by a continuous loggia which offers shelter from the weather and screens the utilitarian dormitories from view. Each of the pavilions is designed with elements drawn from classical models as published by Palladio, Fréart de Chambray, and Charles Errard. Each of the pavilions is different, thereby offering a separate lesson in classical orders and architecture.

Lined with rows of trees, the Lawn measures 740' in length and 192' in width. The Lawn is terraced in gradual steps from the north to the south. The tree plantings are not original and efforts are underway to determine and reinstate the original design concept. The Jeffersonian Precinct is separated from the rest of the University by roads on the west, north, and east sides and by a wide walkway on the south side.