In response to the open letter issued in September by 24 members of the University's Architecture School faculty, another group ran an advertisement in Monday's Cavalier Daily expressing its desire to preserve a traditional style of architecture at the University.
The group consisted of national and international proponents of traditional architecture who believe the architectural styles found on Central Grounds, especially the Lawn, are "paramount examples of the classical tradition," and that Modernist architecture represents an intentional divergence from this traditional style of Central Grounds.
"There is no place in the United States that is more meaningful for architects than the University of Virginia -- the Jeffersonian Grounds and the legacy of Jefferson," said Carroll Westfall, an architecture professor at the University of Notre Dame and a former member of the University Architecture School faculty.
Westfall, who was one of the signatories of the ad, said the point of the ad was to express a concern that some building designs for the University are no longer honoring a traditional style of architecture and are instead calling for more modern styles.
In an effort to overcome arguments against traditional architecture, the advertisement stated that buildings of a traditional style are able to accommodate modern-day levels of students and technology.
Westfall said there are many universities that have built science labs, dormitories and libraries that blend with the traditional style while also containing the newest technology.
"When the flushing toilet came in, we didn't reform the way we build buildings, so the flushing toilet would become an expression of architecture," Westfall said. "You don't want new technology to determine what architecture is going to be."
University Architect David Neuman said the University's Academical Village is garnering worldwide attention and sparking debate because it is Jefferson's masterpiece and a World Heritage Site.
While many agree on the significance of Jefferson's architectural style, some members of the Architecture faculty who signed the open letter in September said they believe those behind the advertisement misunderstood the faculty's statement.
"They're assuming that we were advocating a certain style of architecture, and they have a very narrow sense of what architecture is," Landscape Architecture Prof. Elizabeth Meyer said. "Nowhere in our open letter did we say we're interested in Modernist architecture. What we're concerned about is that our buildings at U.Va. are not a reflection of a modern or contemporary culture."
Architecture Prof. Daniel Bluestone agreed the group responsible for the ad overlooked the main point behind the open letter.
"By collapsing it onto the ground they want to talk about, Modernism versus Traditionalism, they have profoundly misread what the unhappiness is in the Architecture faculty," Bluestone said. "We are mainly complaining about mediocre architecture."
Meyer said while the Architecture faculty is quite diverse with varied preferences and interests, they all agree the architecture of the University that is currently being built is not the best in the country and does not live up to the precedent set by the Lawn.
Meyer added that she believes it is important to consider what physical forms resonate with us now rather than simply repeating the forms of the past without thinking about new meaning.
"The Grounds and the buildings tell stories about the University," Meyer said. "When every building starts to look alike, the stories are muted and not easily discerned, and I think that is too bad because the stories are fantastic."
Meyer and Bluestone agreed on the importance of open dialogue when dealing with architectural styles and decisions and receiving input from many different sources.
Neuman said he believes discussions over styles and architectural plans are extremely important and should be kept "open, ongoing and vibrant."
"It's good for us to have that discussion and dialogue because it's such an important site to all of us, and it's important that we not forget that," he said.
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