The Lawn, or as Jefferson called it, his "Academical Village," is considered by many to be the very heart of the University. It is, in many ways, the physical embodiment of Jefferson's ideals, which are manifested in the way the Lawn is designed.
Jefferson envisioned students and teachers learning from each other. He thus designed his Academical Village such that the 10 pavilions, which were to serve as both homes for the professors and classrooms for the students, were interspersed amongst student rooms.
The fact that faculty and staff still live in the pavilions, surrounded by student rooms, shows that Jefferson's ideals have not been forgotten.
Jefferson designed each pavilion to be different in architectural style. However, it is not only architecture that makes each pavilion unique; the various residents that inhabit the Lawn's pavilions contribute greatly to making each pavilion -- as well as the University as a whole -- special.
A Pavilion Selection Committee (consisting of the chair of the Faculty Senate, the current holder of the Grey-Carrington Award, a representative chosen by the president, and the secretary of the Board of Visitors) is responsible for making recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Board, which will then make the assignments.
Following is a look at life on the Lawn, pavilion by pavilion, through the eyes of the very people that have made Jefferson's Academical Village their home.
Pavilion I: David Breneman, Dean of the Curry School of Education and Donna Plasket, Director of the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
The site of the Virginia Women's Chorus auditions and the staging area for streaking; a location for classes, receptions, fundraising events and family gatherings -- like all the other pavilions, Pavilion I is the center of a wide range of activities. It is also a home.
Breneman and Plasket, his wife, have lived in Pavilion I since October 1998. They follow in the footsteps of John Emmet, the first Pavilion I resident.
"He came here in 1824 or 1825," Breneman said. "He subsequently married in 1834 and built a house -- Morea House -- and moved into that and spent the rest of his life there. When we first came here in 1995, we moved into Morea House [and then moved into Pavilion I in 1998]. We made the same trip in reverse."
Breneman and Plasket said they have enjoyed the many opportunities that come with living in a pavilion.
"You can help build relationships between the University and the community," Plasket said. "It's comfortable for us to open up our homes, and [it's nice] to be able to give access to people who feel this home has meaning."
Like all the other pavilion residents, Breneman and Plasket were responsible for furnishing their home on the Lawn.
"We're totally led by the space," said Breneman, explaining the décor.
In addition to the décor, there is much hard work that goes into maintaining the pavilion. Both Breneman and Plasket stressed the importance of the maintenance staff.
"It's just a superb service," Breneman said. "We call and they're here instantly. We're very fortunate."
"Those folks take such pride in [maintaining] this museum," Plasket said. Having to maintain the pavilions' historical integrity, "on one hand, makes their job a lot harder [and on the other hand], makes their work more valued."
Breneman and Plasket said all the duties that come along with being a pavilion resident are certainly worth it.
The Lawn is "very much a living community in as close a way to the original design as possible," Plasket said. "The spirit of the place is what drives us."
Pavilion II: Jeanette Lancaster, Nursing School Dean
Lancaster finds living on the Lawn to be a great experience. She and her husband have been living in Pavilion II since 1991.
"There's nothing like standing at the Rotunda and looking toward Cabell Hall to relax and feel more peaceful towards life," Lancaster said.
Lancaster said the Lawn is a particular novelty in today's world.
"It's such a unique idea in 2006 -- a Jeffersonian belief of students and faculty living in the same community," Lancaster said.
She also said that her interaction with the University community is different in a variety of ways as a result of living on the Lawn.
"Many of the other pavilion residents are deans, vice presidents, and professors," Lancaster said. "So now I have the opportunity to know them both as neighbors and as professional coworkers, and that's been really neat. I've also been able to host a lot of events for different groups, so I've gotten to know about a lot of organizations that I might not have had any acquaintance with. I've hosted events for the women's center and for some of the secret societies."
Lancaster, like all the other residents, also mentioned the Lawn students as one of the great benefits of living in a pavilion.
"It provides some rich opportunities to get to know some fascinating students. And for me, as a dean of one school, to get to know students of different schools is really neat."
Lancaster has also contributed to the unique nature of Pavilion II.
The pavilions sometimes adapt to their residents -- Lancaster's cat joined classes when they were held in her home.
"Students were trying to encourage people to take the course," Lancaster said. "And they said, 'You'll have the opportunity to meet the inquisitive cat in Pavilion II.' I think by now the cat probably has a PhD in 'Miscellaneous.' I could say on her behalf that she has loved living on the Lawn."
Pavilion III: Pat Lampkin, Vice President for Student Affairs
The living room radiates comfort -- spacious, yet furnished with large sofas and chairs, end-tables with lamps and much more. In a matter of minutes, however, the room can be transformed -- the nested end-tables separate into numerous desks and a very formal classroom setting materializes. The same room can be used for everything from formal dinners to slumber parties.
Such flexibility is one of many things Lampkin and her family considered in selecting furniture, paint colors and other décor for Pavilion III over the last several months.
"You feel a commitment to make sure that the University can use the space and that you treat it well," Lampkin said.
Lampkin said she wanted to "make [the living room] really flexible, so that lots of things could happen really easily and also make people not afraid to enjoy it."
Lampkin and her family lived in Pavilion VIII from 1982 to 1992 and just moved into Pavilion III last August. She said she enjoys living on the Lawn for many reasons.
"My favorite [aspect] is that the space really is calming," Lampkin said. "It's the architecture -- you just really appreciate where you live." In addition, "I see [my children] a lot more. If somebody's sick or needs something, I can pop in."
When she is teaching, the students "appreciate feeling a part of it," Lampkin said. "You like getting out of the normal buildings."
There are, of course, certain things that come along with living on the Lawn.
"It's very public and you have to learn to sleep through a lot," Lampkin said.
She also mentioned that when she forgets to lock the door, tourists will often simply walk in, unaware that people live in the pavilion.
"On Thanksgiving, we were fixing dinner in the back and we had a whole group [of tourists] in," Lampkin said. "That still throws me. You know it, you just keep forgetting it."
But overall, Lampkin said living on the Lawn is an amazing experience.
"When you think of the history of the University and these pavilions ... it is, to me, quite an honor," she said.
Pavilion IV: Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato,Director of UVa's Center for Politics
"The University of Virginia is my life," Director of the Center for Politics Larry Sabato said.
Indeed, he lived on the Lawn as an undergraduate student and was "delighted" to be invited to live in the pavilions as a professor. He has lived in Pavilion IV for two years and said his one regret is that he does not get to spend as much time there as he'd like because his job keeps him on the road so much.
Sabato mentioned many aspects of pavilion life he appreciates greatly and wishes he had more time to enjoy: "Waking up [in the] morning and seeing that glorious Rotunda bathed in light, watching the seasons come in and out through my office window and getting to know students on the Lawn."
Sabato sometimes finds the Lawn to be a bit noisy but feels it is part of the experience.
"When I was their age, I was noisy too," Sabato said. "I didn't think about the pavilion residents. In a sense, I'm getting a dose of my own medicine. They're young and happy and it's part of their experience. It keeps you young and I get a chuckle out of it, truth be told."
Another aspect of the Lawn experience Sabato enjoys is being able to teach in the pavilion.
"It's dramatically different," he said. "The students are quieter and somewhat in awe of their surroundings. I think they understand that ever since the 1800s, students have been taught here. While we're all special, we're just part of a continuum. We come and go, but the University -- we hope -- will be here forever."
Hosting events is also something that Sabato enjoys.
"We've topped 200 events," Sabato said. He finds that hosting students "is an opportunity to enjoy some of the pleasures of parenthood without paying their tuition bills."
In addition to students and faculty, Sabato has brought many governors, senators and other officials to his pavilion.
"I try to bring in different sorts of people to connect my field with the University," he said. "To let the students learn from these high officials and to let the politicians understand how special the University is."
Pavilion V: Provost Gene D. Block
Two faculty members who were related to each other lived in Pavilion V for nearly 70 years, Provost Gene D. Block said. The professor, who died in 1928, shared the pavilion with his daughter and son-in-law, another University professor.
"I recently met who I think was the great-granddaughter of Professor Kent -- her mother had memories of living [on the Lawn]," Block said.
Such historical significance is one of the many aspects of living in a pavilion that Block said he enjoys.
"As a faculty member, especially as one who's primarily involved with post-doctoral students and graduate students, the Lawn really gives you the chance to plug into undergraduate life," Block said. "That's an advantage. It's often not available with the limited contact in classrooms."
Another opportunity presented by living in a pavilion is to teach in a setting very different from the usual classroom.
"I've taught a U-Sem in the pavilion," Block said. "I think it's very special. It's comfortable and historic. That coupled with the fact that it's a small class makes it a very special experience."
And while the historic atmosphere is something generally expected of life on the Lawn, some aspects of pavilion life are not quite what Block expected.
Like most of the other pavilion residents, Block mentioned that prior to moving onto the Lawn, he "thought the lack of privacy would be a big issue, but it's really not so much of a problem."
Nonetheless, there are a couple problematic facets of pavilion life, according to Block. He mentioned, like almost every other pavilion resident, noise and parking as two of the least attractive aspects of life on the Lawn. However, compared to all the opportunities and joys the pavilion residents find in Jefferson's "Academical Village," the few negatives are very minor disturbances.
Block stressed that he feels privileged to live on the Lawn.
"It's an honor," he said. "It really is. It's unfortunate that a lot of other people don't get to experience it. It's a gift to be able to be there"
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