Rotunda, circa 1859

rotundaa_2371925364[1].jpg

Title

Rotunda, circa 1859

Subject

University of Alabama
Nichols, William, 1777-1853

Description

Taken about 1859, this is the only known photograph of the original campus of the University of Alabama. The Rotunda is seen on Huntsville Road, now University Boulevard. The first floor housed chapel services. The second floor was the library.

The Rotunda of the University of Alabama, designed by William Nichols, was completed in 1831. Seventy feet in diameter and seventy feet in height, the structure formed the nucleus of the original campus.

Modeled after the rotunda at the University of Virginia, the Rotunda that housed the University library, was burned by federal troops in 1865. Part of the footprint of the rotunda can still be seen on the Quad near Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library.

Source

Tuscaloosa News Archive

Date

Circa 1859

Contributor

Betty Slowe (Description)

Type

Photograph

Identifier

237

Coverage

Tuscaloosa (AL)

Original Format

Photograph

Physical Dimensions

4 1/2 inches by 5 5/8 inches