Left, "The Corner" (actually a fairly straight street) by the University of Virginia.
Below, the Rotunda and statue of its architect, Thomas Jefferson.
Above: Glorious magnolia tree and chapel(?).
Right: Flowering quince spilling over a walled garden, as seen through Pavilion pillars.
Left: Courtyard garden by the Rotunda.
Below: Just like home...in my dreams!
Left: "The Lawn."
Right: Under a portico along The Lawn. Highly prized rooms (given as honors to students, though they're far from any plumbing) are along the left.
Below: Students studying in a Lawn room. I dearly hope that Mr. Jefferson is writhing in his grave, as in his day "Africans" were only allowed in those rooms to clean up.
The gentlemen scholars' servants (read: slaves) were housed under the Lawn rooms; hence the ventilation grill between the threshold and step in the photo below. History isn't always pretty when you look beneath the surface.
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4 comments:
Again, thanks and WAHOOWA!
Is Trax still there? My students are only minimally impressed by the unparalleled education I received at UVa, slightly more impressed by the size of my diploma. What gets them every time, though, are my stories of hearing Dave Matthews at Trax when he was still solo.
I thought the students' rooms were where the slaves lived. Wow. Thanks for telling the real story!
What a gorgeous place (love that magnolia), but knowing it was built and maintained by slave labor does tend to tarnish its majesty.
True, but so were the White House, Washington Monument and any number of majestic buildings across the country--indeed, around the world. Roman, Egyptian and Mayan constructions come to mind. We can admire their beauty while honoring the toil and suffering that went into making them.
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