Saturday Q&A: Rotunda Renovations

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

What is the construction going on at the Rotunda?

The Rotunda is the building at the heart of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village. Designed as a half-scale model of the Pantheon, this "Temple of Knowledge" was purposefully placed at the center of TJ's original grounds to function as UVa's first library. It also served as a classroom and special event space.

Today, the Rotunda is used for very similar purposes. It still functions as one of the University's many libraries, a student study space, an administrative building for meetings of UVa's governing Board of Visitors, and a special event space where residence halls, student organizations, and special guests can have "Dome Room Dinners" in the top story of the building. Renovations to the building are currently underway to make sure it can serve students and the UVa community in these capacities for many more years to come.

The project should be complete in the Spring of 2016. The to do list for the next two years includes renovating staircases, elevators, and replacing the crumbling capitals at the tops of the exterior columns. All of this and more should be completed so that the project only effects the first year of UVa's Class of 2019. The Class of 2020 and beyond should have no problem at all. By then, the Rotunda with its more historically accurate and up-to-code interior and exterior will be open for all to enjoy.

Want more information about the Rotunda and the renovation? Visit rotunda.virginia.edu!

--Jared Morgan

My Date with CVille: Touring Monticello

My Date with CVille

Touring Monticello

by Jared Morgan

In three years, I've been to Monticello multiple times and never gotten tired of the trip. Recognizable as that building on the back of the nickle, this home of Thomas Jefferson is (along with UVa) a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its tours are thought provoking and intriguing, with topics ranging from TJ's impact on the American canon for architectural design, to how the building was designed to hide his slaves' working quarters, to his many books and inventions, to his relationship with slave Sally Hemmings.

A trip can be a full day event, with an introductory movie, walking tour of Monticello and its grounds, and great restaurants and gift shops located right on the mountain. It can also be perfectly accompanied by a historical tour of UVa (led by the University Guide Service throughout the academic year) or simply a scenic drive through the area in the Fall or Spring.

Want to know why Thomas Jefferson's bedding was pink? Want to know how he designed a clock using cannonballs? Looking to see who was cool enough back in the day to make it on the walls of his expansive portrait gallery? Then make your way to Monticello!

Cost
-Depends on tour
-UVa student discount

Transportation
-About a 20 minute drive from UVa Central Grounds