Stamped!

Home of the Cavaliers

University of Virginia

Thomas Jefferson planned his Academical Village around a library, the Rotunda, instead of a church. Together with his home at Monticello it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • 4Buildings
  • 4Traditions
  • 1817Oldest · The Lawn
  • 1932Newest · Clark Hall

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoCharlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO)

    Charlottesville's small regional airport is a short drive north of the university. Larger airports in Richmond and Washington, D.C. are a two- to three-hour drive away.

  • Getting aroundWalking / University Transit Service

    Central Grounds around the Lawn is easy to walk. Free University Transit Service buses connect the rest of the Grounds.

  • Colors and teams

    At UVA the campus is called 'the Grounds', and the sports teams are the Cavaliers, also known as the Wahoos.

4 buildings to stamp

  1. The Rotunda

    1826 University Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22904

    Jefferson modeled his library on the Pantheon in Rome at half its size: the Rotunda is 77 feet in both height and diameter. Fire gutted it in 1895, and Stanford White rebuilt it with a fireproof Guastavino tile dome.

    Built
    1826
    Architect
    Thomas Jefferson; Stanford White (rebuilding)
    Style
    Neoclassical
    Height
    24 m (77 ft)
    Today
    University Landmark
  2. The Lawn
    Photo: User:PubliusVarrus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The Lawn

    The Lawn, Charlottesville, VA 22904

    The terraced green heart of Jefferson's Academical Village is framed by ten pavilions, where faculty live upstairs and teach below, linked by colonnades of 54 student rooms. Living on the Lawn in fourth year is one of UVA's highest honors.

    Built
    1817
    Architect
    Thomas Jefferson
    Style
    Palladian / Neoclassical
    Today
    Faculty and Student Housing
  3. Clark Hall
    Photo: Vtn5n, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Clark Hall

    University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904

    Completed in 1932 as the home of the School of Law, this Classical Revival building now holds the Department of Environmental Sciences and a science and engineering library. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Built
    1932
    Architect
    Architectural Commission, University of Virginia
    Style
    Classical Revival
    Today
    Environmental Sciences and Science Library
  4. Carr's Hill
    Photo: Rwhaley, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Carr's Hill

    Carr's Hill, Charlottesville, VA 22903

    The university president's house, built in 1906 by McKim, Mead & White, is a two-story brick house with a tall Doric portico. It looks out over the Academical Village.

    Built
    1906
    Architect
    McKim, Mead & White
    Style
    Colonial Revival
    Stories
    2
    Today
    President's House

4 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Room

    Poe's student room at 13 West Range is kept furnished as an 1826 student room. Visitors look in through a glass door and can press a button to hear a recording about Poe's time at UVA.

  • Painted Beta Bridge

    Since the latter half of the 20th century, students have painted messages on the Rugby Road bridge, from club events to birthdays and memorials. Stop by to see what is painted on it this week.

  • Lighting of the Lawn

    Each December, a cappella performances on the Lawn end with a light show on the Rotunda. The lights around the Academical Village then stay lit every night until early January.

  • Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn

    On Halloween, students living in the Lawn rooms hand out candy to local children, a tradition since the 1980s. Families line up along the 54 Lawn rooms.

Know University of Virginia well?

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