Thomas Jefferson conceived the University of Virginia between 1814 and 1826 as a village, a self-contained unit with a total population of approximately 400. The University’s architecture from that period uniquely represented the essential ideals of Jefferson’s educational and political philosophies and served as an integral part of the students’ education.
The University changed dramatically between 1825 and 1895. A growing student body, disease and war, and developments in teaching methods required buildings to serve new needs. Explore the evolving aesthetic of the University’s architecture from Jeffersonian classicism to a picturesque placement of buildings in a wider range of styles in a new exhibition curated by Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History, and in conjunction with the Fralin Museum of Art’s Bicentennial exhibition From the Grounds Up: Thomas Jefferson’s Architecture & Design.
