June 5, 1998 Contact: Bill Sublette (804) 924-1057 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S OLDEST BUILDING, DESIGNED BY JEFFERSON, TO BE RESTORED Largely through philanthropic support, the University of Virginia has obtained funding to restore its oldest building, Pavilion VII. The structure, designed by Thomas Jefferson to serve as a faculty residence, dates from 1817. Scheduled to begin this fall, the two-year project will cost an estimated $3 million. Of this amount, $500,000 will come from a state maintenance reserve appropriation. The rest has been raised from private sources, including a $1 million challenge gift made last summer by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust of Chapel Hill, N.C. "To receive the Kenan funds, we were required to raise a matching $1 million by July 1, 1998. We achieved this goal in less than 11 months, well ahead of schedule," said Jeffrey Plank, assistant provost for research and development at the University. The challenge has been met with a number of six-figure contributions, among them a $250,000 gift from a private foundation in Richmond and gifts from several anonymous donors. Many other contributors also have supported the project, including The Garden Club of Virginia and members of the Colonnade Club, a faculty organization that has occupied the building since 1907. In addition, alumni in the University's class of 1963 have given funds for the restoration in honor of their 35th-year reunion. Plank noted that the Pavilion VII project marks a new departure in the University's preservation efforts. For the first time, the restoration of a faculty pavilion in the Academical Village will be approached comprehensively, incorporating not only the building but also its garden, service yard and alley, and furnishings. Although the University has met its fund-raising goal for the restoration, it continues to seek support for furnishings, including gifts-in-kind of period pieces and fine reproductions and a fund for their conservation. "The generous challenge gift from the Kenan Trust provided a very effective incentive for other donors to come forward with their support for this project," said University President John T. Casteen III. "Their combined gifts will ensure that Pavilion VII and its garden remain an integral part MORE 2 of University life for future generations, and I am grateful for their commitment to preserving the University's architectural heritage." As part of a $1 billion fund-raising campaign now under way, the University is seeking $10 million for preservation of the Academical Village, including Pavilion VII. Until the Rotunda was completed in 1826, Pavilion VII served as the University's first library and as the meeting place for the Board of Visitors before becoming a faculty residence. Since 1907 it has housed the Colonnade Club. In 1912, Pavilion VII underwent a major expansion to add overnight accommodations for visitors and a spacious reading room for members and guests. "After the Rotunda, Pavilion VII is the most public building in the Jeffersonian precinct," said Murray Howard, curator and architect for the Academical Village. "By preserving the pavilion's historic features and updating its modern amenities, the restoration will give faculty, alumni, and visitors a handsome and comfortable setting for socializing and conducting business." The restoration of Pavilion VII is part of an ongoing program to preserve the Jeffersonian buildings and grounds that began in the mid-1980s. This work, which received an Institute Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1995, has been financed with a combination of state appropriations and private funds and has resulted in the restorations of five of the 10 pavilions. Jefferson's Academical Village is the only university site on the World Heritage List, a United Nations roster of places of international cultural significance. The Kenan Trust is named for William R. Kenan Jr., a chemical engineer who was instrumental in the construction of major carbide and acetylene plants at the turn of the century. Later he became president of the Flagler System companies and owner of Western Block Company, then the largest block and tackle maker in the country. Following Kenan's death in 1965, a major portion of his estate was used to establish the trust. In addition to the $1 million challenge gift for the restoration of Pavilion VII, the trust has given the University another $500,000 challenge gift for educational programs related to the Academical Village. To receive these funds, the University must raise another $1 million in endowment support for the Jeffersonian buildings by Dec. 31, 1999. ### For more information, call Jeffrey Plank at (804) 924-6901. Murray Howard, curator and architect for the Academical Village, can be reached at (804) 982-5829. Television reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.