though we started out early and it was only supposed to be 2 1/2 hours away, we actually didn't get to the campus until 11. (it took us 3-3 1/2 hours.) we joined a campus tour that was already under way.
uva is a beautiful campus. founded and designed by thomas jefferson, it embodies jefferson's concept of an "academical village" of residences and classrooms around a large lawn. it, together with jefferson's home, monticello, has been designated a unesco world heritage site.
uva is built on land that was once owned by jefferson's good friend, james monroe.
the lawn and the surrounding buildings was and continue to be the locus of campus. at the head of the lawn is the rotunda, which is patterned after the pantheon in rome. the rotunda used to house the library and was meant to be the focal point. this is unlike other universities of the time where the church or chapel were the centers of campus. here are three shots of the building: taken from the front (actually i'm not sure which side is the front, but this is the side that is not on the lawn side) with a statue of jefferson in front, from the side, and the pillars overlooking the lawn.
for some reason, i don't have a picture of the rotunda taken from the lawn. but here are pics taken from the rotunda, looking out at the lawn.
other views, including the chapel and the amphitheater, taken from other spots.
here are some library-related shots: the alderman library, the clemons library, and clark hall/brown science & engineering library.
uva is a great campus. i didn't realize that it's a top university--currently ranked #2 public university (second only to my alma mater, uc berkeley), though sometimes ranked #1. if only it wasn't in such an out-of-the-way location (meaning, not near a big city), i might consider going to school there. (but what am i saying? i went to school in newfoundland of all places!)
No comments:
Post a Comment