James Murray Howard (1947-2008), for 20 years the Architect for Historic Buildings and Grounds at the University of Virginia, supervised the restoration of many aspects of Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village until his retirement from UVA in 2002. The James Murray Howard Collection of more than 8,000 images documents Howard’s research into the creation of Jefferson’s buildings; the techniques and processes used in their construction, decoration, and restoration; and his own teaching career directing what he called “a practical working laboratory for University students.”
The images are available through the digital library JSTOR, along with other public collections from UVA, as part of JSTOR’s Open Community Collections. They are housed on web interfaces constructed by Metadata Librarian Ann Burns. Burns did most of the work describing and uploading the images, consulting with Sarita Herman, Historic Preservation Team Leader in UVA Facilities Management, for help in identification when needed. The Library’s Digital Production Group assisted with scanning images.
In addition to their visibility in JSTOR, the Library has made the images discoverable through Virgo in a partnership between the University’s Historic Preservation Unit and the Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library. Metadata Operations Librarian Perry Roland prepared the images for use in Virgo, as well as in the Digital Public Library of America.
We’ve included just a few images here to give viewers a glimpse of the collection’s depth. The James Murray Howard Collection can be browsed, filtered by classification, or searched by keyword.
Detail of Cabell Hall roofline
Cabell Hall (September 1984). This photo capturing the façade and roofline of Old Cabell Hall is typical of the eye for detail displayed in many of the images in the collection. The collection holds nearly 100 images of Cabell Hall, both interior and exterior.
Pavilion IX garden
University of Virginia Pavilion Gardens (March 1989). One of nearly 700 images of the University’s Pavilion Gardens, this photo shows a view of the side garden of Pavilion IX in early spring, looking toward the Lawn.
Beta Bridge
Beta Bridge painted for Murray Howard’s 50th birthday (August 1997). Among the 8,009 images in the James Murray Howard Collection there are only a handful depicting Beta Bridge. This photo stands out, showing the bridge painted in celebration of Murray’s 50th birthday in 1997, with appropriate decorations based on the designs of UVA’s pavilion railings.
The Crackerbox behind the East Range
The Crackerbox. This undated photo shows the distinctive “Crackerbox” behind Hotel F on the East Range. Built in 1826, the Crackerbox was originally a detached kitchen with residential space upstairs. A one-room addition was later added to the north end, perhaps to accommodate the enslaved labor force of hotelkeeper John Rose.
Three images of Pavilion II restoration
Before, during, and after images documenting restoration work on the frieze of Pavilion II on the East Lawn. The frieze is based on the swag frieze on the Roman temple of Porturnus, misidentified as the Temple of Fortuna Virilis during the Renaissance and still sometimes known by that name.
Pavilion VI second-floor parlor east wall
Fresco Room (November 1989). Conservator Paul M. Schwartzbaum examines the east wall of the Fresco Room, or French Room of Pavilion VI. Frescos in this room celebrate the relationship between France and the United States, and the friendship of Thomas Jefferson with the Marquis de Lafayette. In the left of the photo James Murray Howard can be seen looking on.
Pergola and pavilions in Lambeth's garden in the Dell
The Dell (May 1988). The collection holds more than 100 images of the Dell, the area west of Emmet Street bordered by the homes on Thomson Road to the north, and (as of 2024) the University of Virginia’s Contemplative Sciences Center. The lower Dell was part of the estate of Professor William Lambeth (an early football supporter — Lambeth Field is named for him) who built an Italianate garden on the site in the early twentieth century.
Barboursville ruins
Barboursville (1988). While the majority of images in the collection are of spaces on UVA’s Grounds, other sites of architectural interest (such as Jefferson’s Monticello and Poplar Forest, and Sidney Fiske Kimball’s Shack Mountain) are also represented. Here a group, probably a class, visits the “scalded columns” of the ruins of Barboursville mansion. The mansion was a prominent residence in Orange County, Virginia that was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day, 1884.
Two views of the Rotunda
No look at UVA’s buildings and grounds would be complete without images of the Rotunda. The James Murray Howard Collection includes more than 600, including these two somewhat unusual exterior and interior views from 1985 and 1993.
