[MUSIC] The rotunda at the University of Virginia was designed by Thomas Jefferson as the architectural and academic heart of his community of scholars or what he termed an academical village. Completed in 1826, the rotunda embodied Jefferson's vision for democracy, freedom of religion, and his notions of a new architecture for a new nation. The building's magnificent dome room house the library for the new university, transforming the Rotunda into Jefferson's temple of knowledge, while reflecting his belief in the preeminence of learning. Today, the Rotunda serves as the symbol of Mr. Jefferson's University and is being revitalized to serve as a site for modern learning. The rotunda is the only world heritage site at a United States university. And welcomes more than 100,000 visitors each year. >> Well, here we are. On the grounds of the University of Virginia [MUSIC] I'm Peter Onuf. I've been teaching history here for almost a quarter century. And we're gonna be doing a course on the Age of Jefferson. And what a treat to be here at Mr Jefferson's university. We'll be talking about Jefferson's career, his thought. In many ways, this university campus, what we call the grounds, the academical village, is a wonderful representation of who Jefferson was and we're making our way to the rotunda, which is the heart of Mr. Jefferson's university. You'll notice that the rotunda is, well it looks classical or we'd say neo-classical. I mean it's not a chapel. All colonial colleges in Jefferson's time had chapels. Were the central thing. So he's making a big statement. And a rotunda is a place where a lot of important things are happening. It's where the library use to be, it's really the heart of the university. It's a wonderful place to talk about Jefferson, needless to say. So, welcome to Thomas Jefferson's world. It's gonna be an interesting ride. And you be sure to wear your helmet. [MUSIC]