Current and Permanent Exhibits
From Village to Grounds | On the Origin of Species at 150 | Flowerdew Hundred | Declaring Independence
From Village to Grounds: Architecture after Jefferson at the University of Virginia
September 15, 2009 - June 30, 2010
Main Gallery of the Harrison Institute / Small Special Collections Library
Please also see information about a related symposium on Nov. 20-21. Read more...
The University of Virginia has presented the same challenge to many eminent architects: how does one build on a masterpiece? As the University has grown, Jefferson’s vision for the University has been tried and tested, adapted and interpreted. This exhibition explores the wide range of solutions to the architectural and planning problems posed by adding to the Academical Village, from 19th-century picturesque ideals to the classicism of McKim, Mead & White and the modern architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition is organized into a series of chronological sections:
Introduction
Very soon after Jefferson’s Academical Village opened to students in 1825, buildings at the University of Virginia were reappropriated and the Grounds reorganized in order to serve new uses and a growing population.
Image: John Neilson, “The Maverick Plan,” 1825.
The Romantic Picturesque University
Between 1826 and 1895, the University went from serving only 150 students to over 600, and new teaching methods required different spaces than those originally designed by Jefferson. Buildings like the University Chapel and Varsity Hall (originally called “the Retreat for Sick Students”) were constructed for new uses and without reference to the Academical Village either in style or location.
Image: Charles Emmet Cassell, University Chapel, 1884-90.
Re-imagining Jefferson: McKim, Mead & White
After the 1895 Rotunda fire, attention was again returned to the Academical Village as the prominent New York firm of McKim, Mead & White was called upon to “restore” the Rotunda and to close off the Lawn with a series of new academic buildings. Stanford White reimagined the Rotunda interior and responded to a number of the University’s contemporary needs, including a refectory (Garrett Hall) and a home for the University’s new president (Carr’s Hill).
Image: McKim, Mead & White, Carr’s Hill, blueprint, 1906-09.
The University Beautiful
The architecture of McKim, Mead & White reintroduced classicism to the grounds, suggesting a new model for responding to the Jefferson-designed core typical of the American Renaissance then dominating the nation’s architecture. From a museum (the Bayly Art Museum) to athletic facilities (Memorial Gym and Lambeth Field), a handful of architects brought Colonial Revival architecture and the incorporation of sculptural and mural programs to buildings serving new uses.
Image: Master plan for the University by Warren Manning, 1912.
The Modern-Suburban University
The University continued to grow after World War II, its landscape now organized by and dependent upon the automobile. As the hospital, Law and Business Schools moved to satellite campuses far from the Academical Village, new facilities were also constructed closer to the historic core. Buildings such as the McCormick Road Dormitories, Newcomb Hall, and the Observatory Hill Dining Hall were built to house and cater to a growing student population, while the Emmett Street Garage responded to the need for visitor and commuter parking close to Central Grounds.
Image: "Past, Present, Future" of Memorial Gym from Corks and Curls, 1952
The University Refocused
Building at the University has again become focused on the historic core, with the South Lawn Project responding to a need for more services close to the Academical Village. From historic preservation to the modern additions to the School of Architecture, new construction at the University both continues to repurpose the University’s 19th-century building stock and suggest new ways of adding to Jefferson’s architectural masterpiece.
Image: Rendering of the South Lawn, by Al Forster of Moore Ruble Yudell, 2006.
Credits
Guest Curator:
Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History, U.Va.
Curatorial Team:
Garth Anderson, Lydia Mattice Brandt, Emilie K. Johnson, Mercy Quintos
Procaccini, and R.R.S. Stewart.
Funding for this exhibition was generously provided by the Office of the President
and the Jefferson Trust.
On the Origin of Species at 150: The Evolution of an Idea
October 14, 2009 - January 11, 2010
Lower Gallery of the Harrison Institute / Small Special Collections Library
“When the views entertained in this volume on the origin of species, or when analogous views are generally admitted, we can dimly foresee that there will be a considerable revolution in natural history.”—Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 1859
The 1859 publication of On the Origin of Species heralded an immediate and lasting intellectual sea change. It brought the natural sciences into the popular imagination and challenged the very foundations of Western religion. Most of all, it marked the beginning of modern biology, predicated on the idea that species are not fixed but, through certain mechanisms including natural selection, evolve. British naturalist Charles Darwin was the author of this monumental work. On the Origin of Species emerged as a consequence not only of Darwin’s painstaking research and voluminous reading, but also of his varied experience – the tutelage of mentors, an epic voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle, struggles with ill health, grief over the death of a beloved daughter, and impassioned scientific debates. Two hundred years after its author’s birth, On the Origin of Species is considered by many to be the greatest scientific work of all time.
Guest curated by Mary Anne Andrei, Lecturer, U.Va. Department of History, and a specialist in nineteenth-century natural history.
Learn more about the exhibit on UVa Today.
Image: Photograph of Charles Darwin from the Paul Victorius Evolution Collection (U.Va. Library).
Flowerdew Hundred: Unearthing Virginia's History
A permanent exhibit at the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature, and Culture
Featuring archaeological artifacts on loan from the Flowerdew Hundred Foundation, this exhibit presents material evidence of Virginia's early inhabitants: Native American pottery sherds; arms and armor used to defend the new colony; refined, imported wares from Europe; and American-made goods, including items manufactured by African Americans. The materials from U.Va.'s Special Collections also on display—images from sixteenth- and seventeenth-century maps and books—illustrate the importance of the historical record in the study of material culture.
Visit the Flowerdew Hundred exhibit website.
Declaring Independence: Creating and Re-creating America's Document
A permanent exhibit in the Declaration of Independence Gallery, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
This exhibit offers highlights of the most comprehensive collection of letters, documents, and early printings of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition sheds light on not only the writing and signing of the Declaration, but also on its first printing, distribution across the colonies, and future impact on American history. An accompanying documentary film is available for viewing in the gallery.
Visit the Declaring Independence exhibit website.