“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for…”
--John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture
Large colleges and universities throughout the world spend enormous amounts of money every year; some of those funds are designated towards development and redevelopment of institutional property--among those universities is the University of Virginia (UVA). With a large campus and a rich history to preserve and maintain, one could imagine the kind of money designated towards the operation and development of the site originally designed by Thomas Jefferson. In a twisted sort of reverence for the creator’s vision of the university, UVA has struggled to develop their architecture and campus in any impactful and lasting way. This fumbling of architectural development begs the question: why build if not for forever?
In his book examining several case studies in preservation, Daniel Bluestone examines the development of UVA and the supremely average architecture produced over time. This includes designs by such architects as Louis Kahn (later fired) and Robert A.M. Stern. Bluestone notes, “In the last decade the university has spent in excess of $1 billion on its building projects, and yet it has not apparently aspired to create architecture or even places that will be revered two centuries from now”.
That is a staggering amount of money devoted to construction and development with seemingly no effort to create an architectural statement. If Ruskin were invoked in the planning and design process, his input may have been to aspire to a greater form of architecture--to make an impact and create a memory. Jefferson, who redesigned his home--Monticello--after a long time spent in France, may have agreed with aspirational architecture and development.
Ultimately, UVA does have a sense of place. However that idyllic campus designed by Jefferson is still extant, and there is no reason development beyond that quadrangle cannot express contemporary architectural ideas--especially given the amount of money the University spends. Preservation can continue even with new development, and the reverence for Jefferson’s campus should not prohibit creation of architecture built for the ages.
If you are interested in reading about more historic preservation case studies, Daniel Bluestone’s book is a great resource. His chapter on UVA inspired this post. Here is a link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Buildings-Landscapes-Memory-Historic-Preservation/dp/0393733181.
Lastly, as an addendum to this post, I should mention that after drafting this piece I learned more details about the architecture building at UVA: Campbell Hall. As an act of historic preservation, and as one of adaptive reuse, Campbell Hall exemplifies what is great about building reuse. The designers carefully considered what worked and what didn’t, and created an improved facility for the architecture school. More information may be found here: https://www.arch.virginia.edu/about/campbell-hall.