McKim, Mead and White architectural drawings, 1895-1907

By Jeff Hill |

When the Rotunda burned down in October of 1895 — faulty wiring was to blame — University of Virginia officials immediately pushed to rebuild, and in 1896, after a false start with McDonald Brothers of Louisville, Kentucky, the Board of Visitors hired prominent New York architects McKim, Mead & White. Stanford White, the artistic force of the firm, was the lead architect on the Rotunda redesign. The University also hired the firm to design three new buildings to enclose the South Lawn. These buildings, also designed by White, came to be Rouss, Cocke, and Cabell Halls, and White also went on to design Garrett Hall as well as Carr’s Hill, the UVA president’s home.

The drawings of those iconic buildings, as well as those of a boiler house and a proposed dormitory that was never built, are now available online in an easy-to-use format as part of the McKim, Mead and White architectural drawings collection. The collection also includes a drawing from the McDonald Brothers studio (ca. 1895) as well as an 1899 blueprint map of the University by Kaigiro Sugino showing the gas, water, and sewer systems.

The collection is comprised of ink drawings on linen, blueprints, and pencil sketches. A total of 251 items were digitized by the Library’s Digital Production Group and made available online in 2024. More information is available in the guide, and the images can be navigated and magnified through the “Navigate this Collection” sidebar.

View details from a sample of the collection below, and click on the image or use the linked captions to explore the full drawing. All images below are undated and are from McKim, Mead, and White architectural drawings, RG-31/1/2:2.872, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.

Architectural drawing of the front elevation of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, featuring a detailed facade with columns and a clock.
Detail of "Front Elevation, Restoration of Rotunda, University of Virginia." A familiar view of the University's most iconic building.
Blueprint for the restoration of the Rotunda of Virginia, showing an elevation view of a staircase.
"Detail for Main Stairs, Restoration of Rotunda, University of Virginia" shows a proposed stairway for the new interior of the Rotunda.
Architectural blueprint of an arcade, including elevation, section, and plan views. The drawing is detailed, featuring column and archway designs on a blue background.
"Arcades & New Lecture Rooms, Restoration of Rotunda, University of Virginia" showing blueprint drawings of the arcades and a floor plan for a new lecture room in the building.
Architectural blueprint of a library section showing bookshelves filled with books. The design includes labels for different gallery levels and figures accessing the shelves.
Details from “Schedule of Shelving for the Library of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville” include these figures removing or shelving books in the Rotunda's restored library.
Intricate illustration of a design surrounding a ceiling skylight, depicting repeated eagles and a starburst pattern, drawn on a dark blue background.
An intricate illustration featuring radiating rays and eagles in “Plan of Ceiling Light of Dome.”
Decorative artwork featuring column and gallery details and text that reads "HOMER" on a dark blue background.
“Details of Reading Room” includes these columns and an ornamental railing, including a depiction of a panel with laurel wreath. Many of these panels are now in railings in the Edgar Shannon Library.
Architectural drawing of room plans showing details of walls, doorways, and other labeled architectural elements.
Fireproofing was an obvious concern in the new design, as evidenced by the fireproof storeroom called for in this design for “Proposed Subdivisions of Old South Lecture Rooms.”
Architectural blueprint drawing featuring a detailed facade of an academic building with classical elements such as columns and triangular pediments.
“North Elevation of Academical Building” — the original plan for Cabell Hall.
Blueprint showing the front elevation of a stone and brick building, detailed with architectural annotations and measurements, rendered in white on a blue background.
Drawing of the Mechanical Laboratory, which later became known as Cocke Hall. “University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, Mechanical Laboratory, End Elevation.”
Architectural drawing featuring a long, single-story building with a central pediment and symmetrical wings, with flora-covered pergolas on both sides.
“Elevation of Rouss Physical Laboratory - Mechanical Laboratory” — the facades of Rouss and Cocke Halls, depicted in one drawing. 
Blueprint-style illustration featuring a series of interconnected geometric patterns and floral designs, with recurring motifs on a deep blue background.
“Refectory - Dining Hall Ceiling.” The intricate designs for the plaster ceiling of Garrett Hall, which was originally the Refectory Building, a formal dining hall.
Architectural blueprint featuring detailed facade and structure designs of a large house seen from one side, with chimneys and a porch. The blueprint is on a blue background with white lines.
“President's House - West Elevation.” Work on the president's home at Carr's Hill was begun in 1906 and completed in 1909.

For a deeper dive into these historic buildings, read up on the history of the Rotunda and Carr's Hill, check out the Garrett Hall Historic Structures Report (pdf), and peruse "From Village to Grounds: Architecture after Jefferson at the University of Virginia."

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