The Rotunda was designed by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. It is believed Jefferson was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in 1822 and was completed in 1826. In 1895 a fire destroyed the entirety of the wooden dome of the Rotunda and an Annex that had been added for additional classroom space. In 1898 the dome was rebuilt with a slightly modified design by Stanford White. The interior of the Rotunda was completely rebuilt in 1976 to reflect Jefferson's original design.
The Rotunda sits on the original site of the University of Virginia. While designing the Rotunda, Jefferson referred frequently to a painting of the Pantheon. It has been noted that the Rotunda's dome is precisely half of that found in the Pantheon. The construction took four years (1822-1826) and was completed after Jefferson's death. The total cost of construction was $57,773. The Rotunda was used to hold a library, classroom space, and laboratory for the University of Virginia.In 1895 a fire burned all but the brick foundations of the building. First hand accounts note that students worked to remove the educational materials that they could before the fire engulfed the building. Because the dome and the additional annex of the building were entirely built of wood they were completely destroyed in the fire.The Rotunda was rebuilt from 1898-1899 by McKim, Mead, and White of New York. The design was modified slightly by Stanford White. White included a fireproof dome that was larger than Jefferson's original and did not rebuild the Annex.In 1972 the US Bicentennial Committee sought to restore the Rotunda to Jefferson's original design. The dome was restored to three stories, the skylight was given a simpler design, and the interior design choices made by White in 1899 were restored to the original design. The construction was completed by 1976 for the Bicentennial.