Jeffersonian Grounds

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Jeffersonian Grounds

Support UVA's comprehensive endeavor to restore, renovate, and renew the Academical Village.

OVERVIEW

The Academical Village at the University of Virginia is one of the most iconic architectural sites in America, but time, constant use, and the elements have left the Grounds in need of a full renovation and repair. The University is restoring the Grounds to ensure that the Jeffersonian Grounds remains true to the University’s original, central purpose to engage, connect, and inspire students and faculty, learners, and scholars.

PRIORITIES

Gifts to the Jeffersonian Grounds support the Historic Buildings and Grounds Fund, the Jeffersonian Restoration Endowment, and other areas of the Academical Village.

  • Restoring the Lawn and Range
    The University of Virginia remains an Academical Village of students and faculty on the Lawn and Range. Daily life is hard on 200-year-old buildings. Ongoing repairs are needed to secure their structural integrity. Efforts include repairing the colonnade columns and fixing water damage from leaking roofs.
  • The University Chapel 
    Preserving this historic treasure and departure from Jeffersonian neoclassicism will ensure it continues to serve and welcome visitors daily. Expendable gifts and pledges of any amount will be matched 1:1 by the University.
  • Pavilion VIII
    A full-building renovation of Pavilion VIII is realizing the immense potential of the pavilion's beauty and historic significance.  
  • Conserving our Historic Gardens and Landscapes
    The historic pavilion gardens, Lawn, alleys, and associated landscapes of the Jeffersonian Grounds serve as parks and contemplative space for students, faculty, and staff as well as visitors to Grounds.
  • Building the Endowment
    Changes in funding and priorities over time have led to a backlog of repairs to our most treasured buildings. By building our endowment, we protect our current investment and ensure that we can steward these historic structures in the future. Other important priorities for the Jeffersonian Grounds include conducting archaeological studies, conserving architectural artifacts, and increasing students’ daily use of the Rotunda.

Jeffersonian Grounds

38

Years that William "Reddy" Echols, the mathematics professor who used dynamite to contain the 1895 Rotunda fire, lived here

Pavilion VIII Facts & Figures

$5.8 M

Funding goal for restoring Pavilion VIII
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Restoring the Academical Village

Pavilion VIII
Preserving the Past, Ensuring the Future

The scope of this project involves complete restoration of the interior and exterior, including returning the first floor to classroom space. The restored pavilion will be a shining example of the Academical Village on the East Lawn. 

Jefferson's Circle
Join Jefferson's Circle

Jefferson’s Circle was formed to support the preservation of Jefferson’s architectural masterpiece: the Rotunda, pavilions and hotels, student rooms, and gardens that make up his Academical Village.

Jeffersonian Grounds

Pavilion Cleaning
Time for a Steam
Work began on this historic pavilion—with an architecture alumna's attention to detail.
Clint Heiden holding a photo of his sister painting
Jeffersonian Grounds
The Gift of Access
The first ADA-compliant Lawn room ensures that the indomitable spirit of Jo Frances Heiden (McIntire ’87) lives on.
MEL Model
Jeffersonian Grounds
A Measure of Respect

UVA's memorial honors the enslaved community members who were instrumental in building and maintaining the University of Virginia in its early years.

UVA's memorial honors the enslaved community members who were instrumental in building and maintaining the University of Virginia in its early years.
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Jeffersonian Grounds
UVA's Gentle Giants
Poets and presidents have called the Lawn home. But none have stood quite so tall or served so long or selflessly as the trees of the historic Jeffersonian Grounds.
We are stewards of this historic architecture, for it belongs not to the University, but to the World.
Alice J. Raucher, Architect for the University of Virginia