The Rotunda, originally designed by Thomas Jefferson as a library and center of study for the University’s academic village, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The only other buildings in the United States to receive this same classification are Independence Hall and the Statue of Liberty. The building was originally built in 1822, and after a major fire in 1895 and numerous renovations, the intent of this project was to restore the deteriorating elements and return the building to Jefferson’s original design.

This complex project consisted of a 35,000 SF interior and exterior restoration and renovation of the historic landmark. The exterior work included:

One of the main points of emphasis for the refurbishment of the Rotunda was to bring the Rotunda back to a student-centered building as Jefferson had intended. A portion of the Oval Rooms and the two South Wings were remodeled as classrooms with the latest audiovisual capabilities. The interior work also included:

Whiting-Turner worked very closely with the UVA historic preservationists and the local archeologist. During the project, many excavations unearthed the remains of historical structures and remnants of the original construction. Some of the larger discoveries include large cisterns located in the courtyards, masonry culverts, sidewalks and multiple architectural components of the 1850s Annex. Many of these are now on display at several UVA museums.

The project also included construction of a new 8,000 SF underground mechanical and service support vault below the East courtyard. The project included an extensive underpinning process along with sheeting, shoring, and mechanical tie-backs to install the subterranean vault and a new mechanical room under the existing East Oval Room. The existing Rotunda did not have any formal foundations and the existing brick was laid directly on earth. The underpinning had to be closely coordinated to incorporate smaller pits to minimize stress on the masonry above.

There were also major upgrades to the campus infrastructure, including storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water services feeding this building and others in the area. Existing buildings adjacent to the site, statues and numerous large trees along with the University’s historical lawn features provided logistical challenges. In addition, much of the underground work was installed through areas of hard/dense rock. The installation of large portions of the new utilities involved boring and directional drilling specific sections of piping to preserve the site features, including numerous large historical trees located in the area. In addition, a storm system that ties into a historical vault structure was discovered during preliminary investigative work. This required complex underpinning and selective demolition to accommodate the routing.