Jefferson Hall – more formally known as "Hotel C" – is a building on the West

Range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

. It is the traditional home of the

Jefferson Literary and Debating Society The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society (commonly known "Jeff Soc") is the oldest continuously existing collegiate debating society in North America, having been founded on July 14, 1825, in Room Seven, West Lawn. Named after founder of the U ...

; the term "Jefferson Hall" (or "Jeff Hall" or "The Hall") is sometimes used as a synonym for the organization. Jefferson Hall is one of six original "hotels" that

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

designed when laying out the plans for the University of Virginia. The hotels originally served as student dining facilities. When not boarding students, various student organizations made use of the building as meeting space. The Patrick Henry Society originally met in Hotel C until the group's dissolution in 1830. The

Washington Literary Society and Debating Union The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union (also known as "the Washington Society" or "the Wash") is a literary and debating group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While its current incarnation is modern, the society has r ...

met there from its founding in 1835 until 1837, at which point it moved to Pavilion VII on the

Lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...

and, from there, to hotels on the East Range (the current incarnation of the Washington Society now meets in Hotel C on Thursday evenings). In 1837, the university's Board of Visitors granted the Jefferson Society control of the largest room in the building and, in 1841, the BOV gave the group permission to remove the walls partitioning the main level of Hotel C, leaving that floor as one large room. The

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

used Jefferson Hall as a hospital during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Jefferson Hall underwent major restoration and renovation in summer 2006. Besides the Jefferson and Washington Societies, Jefferson Hall today is used by a wide range of student, faculty, and community groups, including the International Relations Organization.

References

External links

Excerpts of a masters thesis on Jefferson HallReserve Jefferson HallUniversity of Virginia
{{coord, display=title, 38.035251, -78.505036 Buildings of the University of Virginia Thomas Jefferson buildings