Only a handful of people get to call the center of one of the top-ranked Universities in this nation their home. The faculty and staff that reside in the pavilions of Jefferson's Academical Village are a part of this handful. Here is a continuing look at life inside the core of the University as experienced by the very professors and faculty who have made the Lawn their home.
Pavilion VI: Medicine Prof. Robert M. Carey
"The whole University is literally at your doorstep," said Medicine Prof. Robert M. Carey, describing the "tremendous" experience of living on the Lawn. "You really feel that you are in the middle of the academic community. [There is a] feeling of satisfaction that we're part of a great University," he said.
Carey and his family have lived in Pavilion VI for almost 15 years, and his son is now a student at the University.
"Our son grew up here," Carey said. "What was really neat about that was the Lawn students really enjoyed playing with him. Some of the students have been lifelong friends."
In addition, Carey said living in a pavilion has piqued his interest in history.
"My interest in Jefferson and our country and academic history at that time wouldn't have blossomed [if we did not live on the Lawn], and I'm very grateful for that," he said.
This particular pavilion's rich history includes being one of the first to be constructed. Thomas Jefferson modeled Pavilion VI after a Roman theatre in France, according to Carey.
A tremendous amount of work goes into maintaining the historical integrity of the pavilions.
"In 1991, an archaeological process [was] used to find out what the original paint" in Pavilion VI was, Carey said. "They scraped down 26 layers and then matched that."
As a result of living in such a special place, Carey said he and his family have had a chance to host a number of events. One year, a symposium for Nobel laureates was held on the Lawn.
"We opened up all the pavilions and had lunches for all the Laureates," Carey said. "Desmond Tutu was here. [Our family] hosted the Nobel peace laureate from that year."
It is not only history and events that make the Lawn special -- it is also the general atmosphere found in Jefferson's Academical Village.
"This is a unique environment," Carey said. "It's practical but also symbolic of the environment here at U.Va."
Pavilion VII: Colonnade Club
Pavilion VII, the first pavilion to be built, is home to the Colonnade Club, whose purpose is to "foster social, cultural, and intellectual interchange among its members and to promote the welfare of the University and its faculty," according to the Colonnade Club's official Web site.
The pavilion houses eight guest rooms as well as rooms for faculty, alumni, student and guest meetings. It is the only pavilion that is not occupied by a resident.
Pavilion VIII: Education Prof. Sarah E. Turner
"The rest of my immediate family includes a horse named Phil, but University policy doesn't allow me to live with her on the Lawn," Education Prof. Sarah E. Turner said.
Nonetheless, Turner, who has been a pavilion resident since September 2005, said she enjoys living on the Lawn immensely.
"It certainly shortens my commute to the office and I'm much more involved in the University community," she said. "I know more undergraduates in an informal setting. I'm able to entertain a lot more than when I lived in an 800-square-foot apartment. It's much easier."
Turner hosts various events in Pavilion VIII and she also invites students from her classes over to the pavilion.
"When folks are stuck on a problem set or there's an exam coming up, I'll do a review session downstairs," Turner said. Compared to a classroom, the pavilion "fits less people in, but it's just fun because there's more opportunity to interact informally."
Turner said she has tried to decorate the pavilion in an appropriate manner.
"Conventional house furniture wouldn't work very well," Turner said. "It'd be an insult to Jefferson to hang the posters I've been carting around since my undergraduate years. Anna Townes and Jody DeLandro were fabulous in helping me get set up with some modest Jeffersonian furnishings from what I call 'Mr. Jefferson's closet of things' that wasn't being used by the University."
Pavilion VIII in particular has close ties to Jefferson's original Academical Village.
"Only Pavilion VIII is in the Jeffersonian norm, with classrooms on the bottom floor, and professors living on the top floor," Turner said.
While the history is extremely interesting, Turner said her favorite aspect of living on the Lawn is "my neighbors -- both the undergraduates and the various other pavilion residents. I think the architecture is stunning, but it's the people -- living here is fabulous."
Pavilion IX: Architecture School Dean Karen Van Lengen
From New York City to Pavilion IX on the Lawn in Charlottesville, the Van Lengen family took quite a jump.
Nevertheless, said Karen Van Lengen, Dean of the School of Architecture, "it's a little bit the same."
Just like their home in New York, Van Lengen finds the pavilion to be "an extension, at least for me, of my work."
Van Lengen and her family moved into Pavilion IX upon their arrival at the University, taking the place of the previous dean of architecture.
"We brought the furniture and art we had in New York," Van Lengen said. "Not as a style of the time [but] a style that's very contemporary. It looks very interesting."
Van Lengen also mentioned that the Lawn provides a great setting for events and classes related to architecture.
"One year, when I was teaching a studio on sound and architecture, the students and I walked and listened to the Lawn," Van Lengen said.
The class used their findings to complete a project in the Rotunda, as well as a design project for Pavilion IX.
Another facet of pavilion life Van Lengen enjoys is watching her 10-year-old daughter interact with the Lawn community.
"The thing I've found fascinating is how my daughter has intersected with it, and I think she understands how important it is as an artifact of architecture and history," Van Lengen said. It has had "an enormous influence on her interests at this age."
Van Lengen herself finds the architectural and historical symbolism of the Lawn to be very important.
"To live in a World Heritage site is an enormous privilege," she said. "Living in such a well-defined public space built by Jefferson -- it's an extraordinary experience and very, very unusual. The essential quality is the meaning [it has] to the history of architecture and the history of this country."
Pavilion X: Commerce School Dean Carl P. Zeithaml
"My oldest daughter got married to the first Lawn student I met on my first day, and [my oldest son's] girlfriend is another lawn veteran."
This is how Dean of the McIntire School of Commerce Carl P. Zeithaml explained how his family has been tremendously impacted as a result of living on the Lawn.
Zeithaml's wife "cements the connection" with the surrounding community and "our children have become the ambassadors to the Lawn," Zeithaml said. Without them "I'm sure that we would not be as connected."
In addition to his two older children, both of whom attended the University, Zeithaml talked about his younger children.
"I have a daughter in high school and in many ways, I feel like she's already gone through the University," Zeithaml said. His younger son has "always got someone to play with. It's like having 50-some older brothers and sisters who are actually nice to you."
Indeed, growing up on the Lawn is an extremely unique experience.
"The coolest thing is the relationships you build with the students," Zeithaml's daughter Cammie Anderson said. "The transition from [little sister] to peer and everything in between -- it's been such a learning experience."
Zeithaml also appreciates the experience of living with the Lawn students.
"I'm just so impressed with so many of them -- the ambitions they have and the passions. They're remarkable people -- and that's why I got into this business in the first place."
Another aspect of living on the Lawn Zeithaml enjoys is the history.
According to Zeithaml, the first resident of Pavilion X was Jefferson's physician.
"Our dining room was his original lab where he did dissections," he said. "When we have guests, I let them eat their dinner and then tell them that. They always check the floorboards to make sure nothing was left over."
This is just one of many joys that Zeithaml said he experiences as a pavilion resident.
"At the end of the day, it's a huge honor," he said. We are "on the most important piece of real estate in American education and part of the vision Jefferson had. For a professor, that's as good as it gets."
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 3 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 5 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
