University Of Virginia Historic District

At the center of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville lies a 35-acre core built around Thomas Jefferson's idea of an 'academical village,' a community of scholars living and studying in one unified architectural complex. Construction began after the 1817 cornerstone, and the school was chartered in 1819. Ten two-story pavilions, each showing a different Roman order, line the terraced Lawn and are linked by colonnades fronting student rooms. Arcaded ranges and 'hotels' lie behind, with professors' gardens between. The domed Rotunda, modeled on the Pantheon, anchors the north end. After a fire in 1895, architect Stanford White rebuilt the Rotunda and added Cabell, Cocke and Rouss Halls at the south end of the Lawn. Other notable buildings include Brooks Museum (1876), the University Chapel (1889), Minor Hall and McIntire Amphitheater. The district was listed for Jefferson's original design and its later architecturally distinguished additions.