Thomas Jefferson began the construction of the first building of Central College on October 6, 1817. This building would later become Pavilion VII. Throughout this construction, Jefferson worked on his plans for the rest of the University, to be built after the influx of state funds.
On February 21, 1818, the Virginia state legislature passed an act appointing the commission that came to be known as the Rockfish Gap Commission. Jefferson used his contact in the state legislature, Joseph Carrington Cabell, to get appointed to this body, which was to decide the future site of the University.
The commission met at Mountain Top Tavern in Rockfish Gap from Aug. 1-4, 1818. They found, with a vote of 16-5, that Charlottesville was the "right and proper" place for the University of Virginia, as opposed to other suggested sites in Staunton and Lexington.
The report of this meeting addressed much more than the commission's original purpose. Jefferson included in the report his entire plan for the University, including academic and administrative plans in excess of the building plans. It was a major step toward state support for Central College when the commission signed this report and submitted it.
The battle for the site of the University was not over with the completion of the Rockfish Gap Commission. The battleground shifted to Richmond, where Cabell spearheaded Jefferson's campaign. Finally, on Jan. 21, 1819, the House of Delegates passed a bill that created the University of Virginia. The Senate passed the same bill four days later. This bill included an allotment of $15,000 a year out of the State Literary Fund for the construction and support of the University. Jefferson then began to construct more of the University in earnest. The construction would not be complete until after Jefferson's death in 1826.
-- Compiled by Chris Mitchell & the University Guide Service
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