Terraced grass spreads out under your feet on The Lawn, part of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village and the large court at the historic center of Jefferson's academic community at the University of Virginia. Designed by Thomas Jefferson, this court and its surrounding buildings demonstrate his mastery of Palladian and Neoclassical architecture, and the site has long been recognized as an architectural masterpiece. The Lawn has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark District and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the original buildings of the University of Virginia and Monticello, Jefferson's nearby residence, honors that reflect the site's architectural and cultural significance.
Jefferson originally designed the Lawn to be the center of the university, so it is ringed by housing for students and faculty. At the north end sits its most famous building, The Rotunda, set opposite Old Cabell Hall. Framing the other two sides are ten Pavilions, where faculty reside on the upper two floors and teach on the first, and the 54 Lawn rooms where carefully selected undergraduates reside in their final year.
Slow your pace here — the Rotunda anchors the north, Old Cabell Hall sits opposite, and the Pavilions and 54 Lawn rooms frame this terraced court.