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Program
Mary Hughes, U.Va.'s Landscape Architect, gave a slide presentation
on the University including a brief history of the Grounds and
a report on its current Master Plan. Information about the plan
and images of current projects are available online at:
http://www.virginia.edu/architectoffice/
Jefferson's drawings and information
about U.Va.'s history are also online at:
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/speccol/collections/tj/
MORE on MARY HUGHES' PRESENTATION:
Mary Hughes of the Architects office gave an interesting slide
presentation about the Master Plan of the University. The presentation
started with Thomas Jefferson's original Master Plan for the
University of Virginia.
At the time, Mr. Jefferson rejected the original Master Plan
that included current models of the time (i.e. Harvard), which
were buildings that faced each other blocking in, or squaring
off an area. Mr. Jefferson's plan was for an academical village,
which encompassed 287 yards. There was no Rotunda in the original
drawing. The original site Mr. Jefferson had in mind was a parcel
on what is now Rose Hill Drive.
He was unable to secure that land and ended up with the current
site. Modifications were made to the Master Plan to accommodate
for the sloping lands. The original academical village took
nine years of construction, and the plans constantly changing.
The second purchase was the McCormick/Observatory Hill area
and other purchases during Mr. Jefferson's lifetime encompassed
393 acres. In some of the earlier plans there was to be an arboretum
and botanical garden on the sites that currently house Memorial
Gymnasium and Alderman Library.
There was an annex built to the Rotunda in 1850. The next Master
Plan developed for the University was on the eve of the Civil
War. Close to the site of New Cabell hall was a gymnasium and
Russian steam bath. Also an Infirmary, which is now the ROTC
building, which was designed by William Pratt, was used as a
prototype for infirmaries during the Civil War.
Brooks Hall was built in 1876 and the Chapel was built, based
on a gothic design, in 1890. There was an ice pond at the site
of Mem gym. Typhoid plagued the University and that was the
reason for the cemetery on grounds.
In 1895 the Rotunda annex burned, taking the original Rotunda
with it. Architects from New York
were hired for the reconstruction of the Rotunda and they thought
a Rotunda should be round and not have an annex. Where the steps
and statue are today is the site of where the annex stood.
Mary brought the presentation to more current times and discussed
the Master Plan of 1973. In 1960 to 1973 the University student
population doubled, as a result of admitting female and African
American students. Additional land was purchased, to the north,
which now houses the Darden Business and Law
Schools, called the
North satellite. More land was purchased at Birdwood to be used
as a west satellite, which has not come to fruition.
The 1996 Master Plan update includes a link to north and central
grounds to create a walking environment. A pedestrian and bicycle
overhead walkway is under construction. The North Grounds connector
road has been approved to be built with University funds, not
State funds. This
connector road will be used to facilitate traffic to the new
arena and will start on the 250 bypass area near St. Anne's
Bellfield, giving direct traffic access to the University and
avoiding neighborhoods. There are plans to develop the Dell
into a park-like environment with a pond. Also, there are plans
to develop Blue Ridge
Hospital into a Research
Park, but that is
not slated to occur for at least ten years.
The website for Office of the Architect has all the current
projects, plans and FAQ sheets.
http://www.virginia.edu/architectoffice/masterplan.html
Three nominations for officers were put forward by the reps:
Jon Rice for chair
Arlene Buynak for vice chair
Carey Shirk for secretary
Voting to elect new officers will be held at the Nov. 19 meeting.
The new officers will preside over the subsequent meeting,
Dec. 18. The topic of this meeting will be educational benefits,
and guests from BIS and benefits will be invited to speak.
Those who volunteered to staff the Employee Council table at
the New Employee Resource Fair in Newcomb Hall Ballroom on Nov.
20 are:
1:30-2 p.m. - Nakysha
Critzer of Housing
2-2:30 p.m. - Steve
Raymond of the U.Va. Bookstore and Ginger McCain of the Office
of the Architect
2:30-3 p.m. - Rebecca Arrington of University Relations
3-4:30 p.m. - Carey Shirk of Student Financial Services
4-4:30 p.m. - Jon Rice of Procurement Services
Representatives from a Medical Center Employee Council will
also be helping to staff our table.
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