With its sloping landscape, classical architecture and rich history, the Lawn is one of the University's most recognizable symbols, admired by students and the general public alike. It is the foundation from which Jefferson began his "academical village" and the place from which the University's educational tenets originated. But just as Jefferson's "academical village" has grown and expanded, the Lawn too will see changes by way of a multimillion-dollar construction project deemed the South Lawn Project.
Plans for the South Lawn Project had previously been put on hold for months because of funding issues and complications, but the project recently regained a new momentum when University Architect David Neuman released revised construction plans. The project consists of expanding the Lawn further south behind Old Cabell Hall and then moving east to eventually connect with the University's Medical School, Nursing School and language houses.
One of the first groups to hear these revised plans was the South Lawn Student Task Force, a group comprised of students from various organizations on Grounds. Arts and Sciences Council President Catherine Neale is the student leader of this organization, which seeks to look at the architectural plans from the perspective of a University student. The Task Force considers such questions as: "Is this a place where students will hang out?, Is this a place conducive to student professor interaction?, etc.," Neale said.
Neuman presented his new architectural plans to Neale and the Student Task Force Nov. 19. He is scheduled to present the plans to several other groups at the University and across the country in hopes of garnering continued support and alumni funding.
"A term like the South Lawn has some pretty heavy connotations," Neuman admitted.
He emphasized that careful architectural planning is going into this project to appropriately consider Jefferson's legacy.
"We're not talking about imitating the actual Lawn," he said. "Every layer of this project has a lot of interpretation."
Groups such as the Student Task Force are encouraged to converse about the project, not only to develop the best interpretation of this legacy but also to ensure that this project will be successful for many years after its completion.
"The University is about an architecture that has a language but a distinction... that is what makes rich historical buildings," Neuman said. "We are building something for the ages here."
The "something for the ages" Neuman seeks to build will serve as a new space for the College of Arts and Sciences in an effort to create an atmosphere which promotes communication between different disciplines.
Adam Daniel, associate dean for administration and planning, also said the South Lawn Project is in part an effort to provide the College with more classroom space that is conducive to an interdisciplinary academia supported with state of the art technology.
"It's about identity, what we are as an institution," Daniel said. "We want to have buildings that both recognize and provide incentive for disciplines to work together. Frankly, if we don't do anything about [the technology in the College] we're going to have our heads in the sand."
Daniel also noted that the South Lawn is being designed with the concept of learning as a social enterprise in mind.
Daniel said students "learn when [they] run into a professor and have a conversation that extends beyond the classroom ... [we] don't have the facilities to promote this interaction right now."
The buildings of the South Lawn are organized to foster communication not only between departments but between faculty and students as well. For instance, plans designate the main Commons building as an open space with both a food service area and a lounge area for students and faculty to interact more easily.
Preserving important aspects of University history has been another focus of the South Lawn Project's development. The project will also provide a means of commemorating the Kitty Foster site located near 1512 Jefferson Park Ave. The remains of the homestead Foster purchased for her family in 1833 and 12 unmarked African-American graves which lie nearby are an important part of University history, Neale said.
"Members of the Canada, an interracial community of white laborers and free blacks that included Kitty Foster, served University faculty and students throughout the 19th century," she added. "One of the largest priorities of the South Lawn Project is to not disturb the graves or the homestead and to honor them."
Daniel said he hopes that a memorial will bring attention to a history that has been largely invisible to the University community for some time now.
History Prof. Reginald D. Butler, who serves as director of the Carter Woodson Institute for Afro-American and African Studies, is chairing a faculty committee to advise College Dean Edward L. Ayers on how to appropriately honor the homestead and incorporate it into the South Lawn project's plans.
In the meantime, Neuman continues to present his ideas and designs to different groups.
Farah Dilbert, chair of the Student Council Community Affairs Committee and a member of the Student Task Force, voiced her concern about college students traveling further from one class to another once departments are moved to the South Lawn. Despite these concerns however, Dilbert said she believes that the project will be an improvement for the University community.
"I think it's a good idea to open U.Va. to the community," Dilbert said. "The other idea I like is that it has a lot of common space which is more functional then the way New Cabell is set up."
Dilbert also said she appreciates the involvement the University has allotted students in this project.
"I think it's a really good idea to have the Student Task Force if only to make students aware that this is going on in the next five to seven years," Dilbert said.
Students like Dilbert, faculty and the general public alike will most likely have to wait an extensive period of time before this project will be finished. The final approval of these plans by the Board of Visitors, Ayers and University President John T. Casteen, III will take place this spring. The current projected date of completion for the South Lawn Project is fall 2010.
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