University alumnus David A. Harrison III donated $10 million last week to Alderman Library.
The funds will establish an institute for American studies, where students and faculty will be able to view such relics of American history as the first Bible published in the New World and the first printing of the Declaration of Independence.
In the past, Harrison has pledged millions in gifts to the School of Law, the School of Medicine, the College and athletics. The Law School Grounds and the football field are named after him.
"He has really demonstrated an appreciation for the full breadth of University life," Director of Development Communications Bill Sublette said.
Harrison designated this most recent gift specifically for the advancement of American studies because of his "strong interest in American history and his awareness of the strengths of the library's special collections," University Librarian Karin Wittenborg said.
The new David A. Harrison III Institute will be situated on the current site of Miller Hall, which will be knocked down, Wittenborg said.
The Institute will share a building with the Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, which is funded by Small, a member of the University's Board of Visitors.
Wittenborg said she expects the Institute to be completed in late 2002 or early 2003, with construction likely to begin in mid-2000.
The building is being designed to conform to the neo-classical Jeffersonian style characteristic of buildings on Grounds.
Besides housing an exhibition gallery, the 65,000 square-foot facility will contain study areas for visiting scholars and a seminar room for lectures and classes.
Three exhibits per year are planned for the Harrison Institute, each lasting a minimum of three months.
The exhibits will integrate historical manuscripts with paintings and artifacts from colonial America taken from Alderman Library's extensive holdings of rare Americana.
These holdings include original literary manuscripts such as Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" and Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage," as well as artifacts from archaeological excavations conducted at Flowerdew Hundred, the historic James River plantation owned by Harrison.
The artifacts will be displayed in a climate-controlled setting, which will incorporate advanced information technology to link the Institute's resources with those of libraries around the world.
Harrison, a 1939 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences and a 1941 Law School graduate, is a member of the Capital Campaign's executive committee.
Initiated in 1996, the Campaign was originally intended to raise $500 million for the University, but that goal has since been upgraded to $1 billion by the end of 2000.
The Campaign has so far amassed $947 million in funds.
Included in that total is $112 million in "future support," or funds designated in living wills to be donated to the University upon the donor's death.
While Harrison has been one of the Campaign's most generous donors, large contributions have not been uncommon. "The Campaign has received more than 100 gifts of $1 million or more, and many gifts of more than $100,000," said Bill Sublette, director of Development Communications.
Donors have included alumni and parents, as well as corporations and foundations.
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