Academical Village, (Charlottesville, Virginia), 1816-Present, Roman Revival.

Thomas Jefferson’s plan for an Academical Village, at the University of Virginia, was his concept of the utopian institution. Jefferson argued that large buildings became ugly and cumbersome, smaller more individual buildings were the most efficient for a small, growing university. Buildings on a large scale were prone to extensive damage in fires, and unhealthy in cases of illness. Smaller buildings could also be added over time, so the original expense to the university is much smaller. He believed that also, smaller buildings could begin to take on individual characteristics which reflect the subjects studied within them. Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, assisted by scientists Pierre-Samuel Du Pont de Nemours and the Marquis de Condorcet designed the replanning of Paris’ main hospital, Hotel Dieu. As friends of Jefferson’s it can be said that this design, comprising of 12  structures and a main Church, had an impact on his design for the Academia Village.The influence behind Jefferson’s Academia Village has been debated time and time again, as he never detailed his thought process on the design. However, Marly-le Roi’s Louis XIV residence comprising of 13 pavilions surrounding a lawn, with the Royal Pavilion at the head. 

In 1816 the University of Virginia was established on the campus of Central College, and plans for the official village were ready within months. A large rotunda, at the northern end of the campus, served as the library. This rotunda very closely resembles the Pantheon in Rome, the only differences being the number of columns, and its size. A rectangular grid of 10 pavilions, five on either side of a terraced lawn and defined  by artful walls is adjacent to the south of the library.In the months that followed, the overall plan was changed to allow for east and west expansions that consisted of additional dormitories and dining halls. Each pavilion has its own garden which separates them from the eastern and western expansions, and creates a space which is conducive to studying. As for each of these Pavilions, the interiors are mostly the same, schoolrooms on the lower level, and two rooms on the upper level for the professor. The exteriors were made to look cohesive, but differ to an extent. Column order (Corinthian, Doric, Tuscan, and Ionic), overall height of the structure, and number of columns varies from building to building. A colonnade with changing column orders, link each pavilion along the lawn. A diversity can be found in the intervals between columns, as well as some pavilions introduce pilasters. The exedra is a semicircular inset which can be used for seating or gathering. This was first used by the Romans in constructing their baths, and it is an architectural element that is incorporated into some of the pavilions. Dining halls placed on the opposite side of each garden are mostly used today as offices.  The village stands today, and has multiple programmatic uses. The design as of present day receives mixed responses, mainly because Thomas Jefferson was in fact a slave owner.

Bibliography:

https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-plan-academical-village

Jefferson, Thomas, et al. Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village : The Creation of an Architectural
Masterpiece. Charlottesville : Bayly Art Museum of the University of Virginia : Distributed
by Univ. Press of Virginia, c1993., 1993.

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1010&context=fypapers

Corboz, André. “Les précédents du plan de Jefferson pour l'Université de Virginie.”  Artibus et
Historiae 26, no. 51 (2005): 173-194.

http://www.virginia.edu/webmap/academicalVillage.html