The
Rotunda
Charlottesville,
Virginia
#NC-01220-ED - Notecards
#PR-01220-ED - Open Edition Print
The
Rotunda, which stands majestically at the north end of a long,
terraced green space known as the Lawn, was designed by Thomas
Jefferson as the architectural and academic heart of the University
of Virginia. Jefferson, who died on July 4, 1826, did not live
to see the completion of the Rotunda, the last building of his
“academical village” to be finished.
In
the 1850s, the University commissioned Robert Mills to build an
annex onto the north side of the Rotunda. A fire caused by faulty
electrical wiring broke out in the annex on October 27, 1895,
and spread rapidly to the adjoining Rotunda, leaving only an empty
brick shell. Alexander Galt’s life-size statue of Thomas
Jefferson was courageously rescued by students during the fire,
along with books, portraits and other valuables. The statue now
stands in the upper entrance hall.
The
renowned New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, was
retained to rebuild the structure. Stanford White, the project’s
principal architect, made alterations that departed significantly
from Jefferson’s plan, including the addition of a north
portico and wings for offices.
Work
to restore the Rotunda to Jefferson’s original design was
begun in 1973. The restored Rotunda was dedicated on April 13,
1976, the date of the U.S. Bicentennial and the 233rd anniversary
of Jefferson’s birth. Today, the Rotunda appears essentially
as it did when it was built.
Text
© 1995 Dianne Harrah, Drawing © 1995 Bill Harrah.
UNIVERSITY
OF VIRGINIA (Click on an image to see the actual
notecard size)
