The University of Virginia estimates that renovating the Rotunda will cost about $51 million. Photo by the Washington Post
Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda, the historic heart of the University of Virginia, is among the most iconic structures in higher education. Yet a close inspection reveals that the proud Corinthian capitals above its entrance are crumbling. The elevator jams at inopportune moments. The roof leaks.
Coming up with the money to fix a building of such gravitas might seem a simple affair. Jefferson’s university is a storied “public Ivy,” with a $5 billion endowment. Someone could, presumably, write a check.
But the endowment is largely off-limits for capital projects. And Virginia lawmakers closed their annual session Sunday without budgeting a single dollar toward the $51 million Rotunda renovation. University leaders are prepared to raise nearly half the cost from donors - but only if the General Assembly commits to paying the other half.
To Virginia lawmakers, the Rotunda repairs were Line 1054 on a list of projects awaiting funding, one urgent need among many for a higher education system that inspires both pride and anxiety in Virginia’s leaders.
“It was really a tremendous tragedy, for the Rotunda and other very essential capital projects,” said Sen. R. Edward Houck (D-Spotsylvania), a U-Va. alumnus who sits on the Senate Finance Committee.
Public investment in state universities, and U-Va. in particular, has stalled as the universities’ other revenue sources have grown.
State dollars now cover 7 percent of the cost of operating U-Va., down from 26 percent two decades ago. State appropriations to the university dwindled in the recent economic downturn from $167 million in fiscal 2008-09 to $136 million in 2010-11.
In the halls of government, there is no want of enthusiasm for repairing the Rotunda, which Jefferson modeled on the Pantheon in Rome. The archetypal image of the dome and the facade, its six columns topped with a triangular pediment, has become a visual trademark for U-Va. and historic Virginia.
But as the legislative session closed, the project fell victim to political stalemate. For now, the marble capitals remain draped in black mesh netting - to protect people walking below from pieces that might break off.
“The Rotunda is the part of the university - not the basketball team, not the football team, not the marching band - the Rotunda is the symbol around the world for which the university is known,” said Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), a former gubernatorial candidate. “We have an obligation to fix it.”
Comments
Who are we, if not the sum of our past…without that, we are nothing! Legacy, legacy, legacy!
Richard Yniguez
One less starbuck coffee in the morn! Come on…who’s got the kitty going?
I am the daughter of the former Rotunda Hostess, Mary Hall Betts, better known as Mama Rotunda. She formed the student guide service and they in turn had the once famous Rotunda Ball. This ball was to earn money for the restoration of the Rotunda back to it’s original “self”. Where does the money go from this ball now? Maybe I am assuming the ball is still a function of the guide service, I would love to know. Thanks
Although at present, funding requests for the restoration of the Rotunda may have to wait in line to receive funds from the state, in the meantime there a number of ways that University students and alumni have come together to generate awareness and support for the restoration efforts. One example can be found in the 48th Annual Restoration Ball, an event that was held this past weekend (March 19th, 2011) at the University. This year the Restoration Ball was organized through the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, and was cosponsored by over 20 diverse undergraduate and graduate student organizations from across grounds, including the University Guide Service, organizations of student governance, Greek organizations, and cultural organizations. All the proceeds from the event were donated to the restoration efforts through the Heart of Grounds Campaign, which manages the donations and contributions pertaining to the Restoration of the Rotunda. This year’s Restoration Ball witnessed an excellent turnout of support from participating students and alumni and generated over $5,000 in donations towards the Rotunda restoration efforts. It is intended that this event, along with the Colonnade Ball (which is hosted by the University Guide Service, often in the fall semester) may serve as primary opportunities for students – and alumni – to engage with and support the Restoration campaign in the years to come.
For more information about the Heart of Grounds Campaign, please visit: http://campaign.virginia.edu/site/c.jiKRL5POLvF/b.6054211/k.854D/The_Rotunda.htm
For more information about the Restoration Ball, please visit: http://jeffersonsociety.org/about/events/resto/
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