The Grounds

At the heart of the University’s campus—or the Grounds, as it is called at U.Va.—is the “Academical Village,” a U-shaped group of buildings designed by founder Thomas Jefferson and set around an open space known as the Lawn. Jefferson envisioned this layout as well suited to the frequent contact and shared learning between professors and students that define the ideal college experience.

Today the Lawn remains the center of University life. Each year thousands of visitors tour the Rotunda, which is also a venue for lectures, social events, student activities, and meetings. The Academical Village is considered one of the world’s great cultural treasures, and U.Va. was the first university to be chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.