The Rotunda (University of Virginia)
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Rotunda, University of Virginia
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The Rotunda
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| Location | Charlottesville, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 38°02′08″N 78°30′13″W / 38.03556°N 78.50361°WCoordinates: 38°02′08″N 78°30′13″W / 38.03556°N 78.50361°W |
| Built | 1822-1826 |
| Architect | Thomas Jefferson; Stanford White |
| Architectural style | Early Republic, Neoclassical |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000937 |
| VLR # | 002-5055 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 21, 1965 |
| Designated VLR | September 9, 1969 |
The Rotunda is a building located on The Lawn in the original grounds of the University of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson to represent the "authority of nature and power of reason" and was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in 1822 and was completed shortly after Jefferson's death in 1826. The grounds of the new university were unique in that they surrounded a library housed in the Rotunda rather than a church, as was common at other universities in the English-speaking world. The Rotunda is seen as a lasting symbol of Jefferson's belief in the separation of church and education, as well as his lifelong dedication to both education and architecture.
The collegiate structure, the immediate area around it, and Jefferson's nearby home at Monticello combine to form one of only three modern man-made sites in the United States to be internationally protected and preserved as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the other two are the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall).
The original construction cost of the Rotunda was $57,773 ($992,792 in 2006 dollars). The building stands 77 feet (23.5 m) in both height and diameter.
Jefferson's design was influenced by the architectural drawings of Andrea Palladio and is an example of Palladian architecture. The direct source for Jefferson's inspiration is believed to be a drawing of the Pantheon in the 1721 Leoni translation of Palladio, which Jefferson owned and referred to during the building process. Jefferson used the detailed measurements of the Pantheon to guide the proportions of his Rotunda. The Pantheon's dome is 143 feet in diameter, while Jefferson's Rotunda is 77 feet, "being half that of the Pantheon and consequently one fourth in area, and one eighth in volume."
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