University of Virginia Rotunda Renovation

The Rotunda at the University of Virginia is the heart and focal point of the University’s Academical Village. The Rotunda originally housed the University library and was nearly destroyed due to a fire in October 1895. Shortly thereafter, architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead and White, designed the replacement dome in 1897, and the building remained essentially unchanged until 1976 when the latest restoration effort was conducted.

This project focused on the roof of the building, which had been replaced during the 1970s renovation but was again in need of replacement. Leakage had saturated parts of the masonry bearing walls, leading to deterioration of ferrous tension rings, which jeopardized the Guastavino tile dome.

Pedestrian traffic was very heavy both in the building and on the grounds and had to be maintained throughout construction, which required a network of hoists and bridges to access the building over top of traffic. Work on the roof was phased so multiple crews could work simultaneously in order to optimize productivity.