U.Va.'s signature structure - the Rotunda - to be renovated

I am sure that the debate over what/how to renovate will get hot and heated. Having been a student when the last renovation was done 30 years ago, believe me, the historian crowd will bicker back and forth incessantly. Personally, I believe some of the Stanford White changes should be retained. White is the the famous architect murdered in the original Madison Square Garden by a jealous rival for the affections of Evelyn Nesbitt, the "Girl on the Red Velvet Swing," who oversaw the rebuilding of the Rotunda after the 1895 fire and who also designed the three classical style buildings that enclose the south end of The Lawn. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VA_RESTORING_THE_ROTUNDA_VAOL-?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=STATE):

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Though it may take at least six years and cost a minimum of $40 million, big changes are coming to the Rotunda, the building that is the heart of the University of Virginia. U.Va. hired John G. Waite Associates of New York - consultants in the field of historic preservation architecture - to help the school figure out how to repair and authentically renovate Thomas Jefferson's masterpiece, which was completed in 1826. The focus also will be on bringing the Rotunda back into the daily life of students and faculty. The sounds of teaching might soon be heard routinely in the building, which originally served as a library and a classroom in the 19th century.

"It's been 30 years since the last renovation," said Brian Hogg, senior preservation planner in the office of the university architect. "We're just beginning to think about how to move ahead with reconstruction." The report, which has not been made public, examines almost every aspect of the Rotunda's history, including the major renovations to Jefferson's design by famous architect Stanford White after the fire of 1895 and the restoration in 1976 led by U.Va. professor Frederick D. Nichols. The consultants also looked at the forensic evidence of how the Rotunda was originally built.

"The fundamental question is how much is left of Jefferson's building and how much of White's?" Hogg said. "How close did they get in the'70s?" Another fundamental question is how far to go in remaking the Rotunda as an authentic Jeffersonian building. David Neuman, the university architect, said the Rotunda "is U.Va. history encapsulated in one building. Its history has evolved, and so one could argue to preserve that history, though not fully accurate to Jefferson."

Tourists often have their photographs taken on the street side of the Rotunda, standing on its sweeping steps and under its massive columns. Few know that the steps and columns were added by White. Jefferson had a modest door and stoop as an entrance to the back of the Rotunda. The two street-side wings also were added by White. "What to do about the blending or clashing of Thomas Jefferson's and Stanford White's buildings is an ancient issue here," U.Va. President John T. Casteen III said in an e-mail.