Tag Archives: Rotunda

Photo Journey: Outside the UVa Rotunda & The Colonnade Club (pt 3 in a series)

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Part 3 of my photo journey of UVa’s central grounds. All photos taken February, 2017, in remembrance of my grad school days and to show places that appear in my Magic of Love series.

Looking at the Rotunda from the west side of the Lawn.
Looking at a Pavilion from the Rotunda’s patio.

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Photo Journey: The University of Virginia’s Rotunda (pt 2 of a series)

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Taking a much-needed break from editing The Demon Duke to bring you an image-heavy post about the stunning interior of the University of Virginia’s Rotunda.

This is the second in a series photo-documenting my visit to UVA on a delightful but cold February day, 2017. I hope you enjoy!

Have you been there? Share your experiences in the comments!

The basement entrance (from the south looking north). Perhaps not the most glamorous place to start, but it’s where I’ve always gone in, and it seems fitting to begin at the bottom, as the building only gets more glorious as you go up. Plus that bell is cool.
The basement room on the right (east) houses a display about the Rotunda, giving you information on its uses and adventures over the years.

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Photo Journey: A Walk Around UVA’s Academical Village (pt 1 of a series)

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On a sunny but brisk day in February, 2017, I headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, to tour the newly renovated (and utterly gorgeous) University of Virginia Rotunda. I’ve loved UVA since my grad school days there and spent a pleasant few hours of snapping photos of places near and dear to my heart.

Two of the novels in my Magic of Love series, A Man of Character and A Scandalous Matter, are set in C’ville (as the locals call it), and university spots feature prominently in the action. Just for the fun of it, I’ve included quotes from my books relating to certain pictures. Enjoy!

Because of the large number of photos, I’m breaking this up into a series of blog posts, so do come back for interior views of the Rotunda, the UVa Chapel, and Alderman library.

Newcomb Hall – location of The Pav dining services, where my grad school friends and I spent more than a pretty penny on food to fuel our long study sessions.
Monroe Hall – I never went in this building, though it’s directly across from Alderman Library. But it’s a great example of the architecture.
Another shot showcasing the architecture. Columns abound. As do old, old trees.

Those instantly recognizable serpentine walls that enclose the delightful gardens along the back of the Academical Village.
One of the many gardens.

From A Man of Character: “They lapsed into easy conversation, talking about favorite places in Charlottesville. He was fond of Jefferson’s gardens on the UVa grounds; she confessed she enjoyed sitting on the downtown pedestrian mall to people-watch when she got a chance.”

A view of the UVA Lawn looking south (away from the Rotunda). I walked through here nearly every day while in grad school. At the far end is Old Cabell Hall, where I had many of my classes.
A close-up of the student rooms along the Lawn. I never could decide if I’d want to live in one: on the one hand, they were quite prestigious, and you lived right on that marvelous Lawn. On the other, because they are so old, they do not have central heat (hence the firewood outside the doors, to fuel the fireplaces within). Or a bathroom – you have to walk to communal ones behind the row of rooms. I never had the choice, though; they’re reserved for senior undergrads. 

From A Scandalous Matter: “She strolled along the colonnades, passing numerous doors. Once, a young woman exited one, giving Amara a glimpse of a bed inside. Students lived here?”

Another shot looking south, this time showing the western side of the Lawn.

Now looking north – there’s the Rotunda! It was almost strange to see it so open-looking after it’d been under renovation wraps for several years.

 

A 360 degree view of The Lawn.
http://360.io/w35QFM

 

Just another beautiful day on UVA Grounds. I had fun imagining the couple strolling there might be Matthew and Amara from A Scandalous Matter. “Amara ambled around the wide green expanse, not wanting to leave. The solid, white columns, the long black window shutters, the whole atmosphere of this central area reminded her enough of her century that homesickness unfurled through her.”
And then it was on to the Rotunda itself…here’s the view of the South Side.

From A Man of Character: “Reaching the south side Rotunda steps, Ben stopped for a moment to look down the expanse of the Lawn. “Isn’t it breathtaking?” he said. Cat nodded. It truly was a gorgeous sight, one she’d taken for granted, having lived in Charlottesville for so long.”

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode: The Rotunda!