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North entrance, frontal view over the public space, looking north; The University of Virginia is an historic public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson. Conceived by 1800 and established in 1819, it is the only university in North America to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, an honor it shares with nearby Monticello. One of the largest construction projects in North America up to that time, the new Grounds were centered upon a library (then housed in the Rotunda) rather than a church-further distinguishing it from peer universities of the United States. Jefferson's original architectural design revolves around The Lawn, a grand, terraced green-space surrounded by residential and academic buildings. He called it the "Academical Village", and that name remains in use today to describe both the specific area of the Lawn and the larger University surrounding it. He proposed a long lawn or green, with five pavilions on both sides, each representing a different discipline, with a lecture-room and professor's apartments. The University of Virginia was opened in 1825, when the Rotunda was almost completed. Source: University of Virginia; http://www.virginia.edu/ (accessed 1/11/2008)