Ruffner Hall

The Rotunda
The exterior of The Rotunda in March 2014.
Location in Virginia
Former names	College Building, Ruffner Hall
General information
Architectural style	Jeffersonian
Address	201 High Street
Town or city	Farmville, Virginia
Country	United States
Coordinates	37°18′4.25″N 78°23′45″W
Current tenants	Longwood University
Groundbreaking	December 12, 2002 (reconstruction)
Construction started	1839 (original)
Completed	1907 (original)
Opened	April 23, 2005 (reconstruction)
Destroyed	April 24, 2001 (original)
Cost	$17.9 million ($27.9 million in 2023 dollars)
Owner	Longwood University
Technical details
Floor area	83,143 sq ft (7,724.2 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Kuntz & Associates of Alexandria (reconstruction)
Main contractor	English Construction Company of Lynchburg (reconstruction)

The Rotunda is the name given to a building on the campus of Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. It was formerly known as Ruffner Hall, but the name was changed in 2019. The original Rotunda was built in 1839 and gradually expanded along with the school over several decades, to eventually include its iconic rotunda dome, until its completion in 1907. The building was eventually destroyed in a fire on April 24, 2001. The then-Longwood College began to rebuild the structure, and it was reopened just before the fourth anniversary of the fire, on April 23, 2005. The new Rotunda, in contrast to the old, has a basement to increase instructional space.

History

Historically, The Rotunda was the college campus, prior to the school expanding west and south in the mid-twentieth century, including serving as both residence hall and classrooms. In the closing days of the American Civil War, High Street and the then-Farmville Female College saw both Confederate forces escaping the Battle of Sailor's Creek towards Appomattox Court House, and the Union Army following them.

At the time of what became known as the "Great Fire of 2001," Ruffner Hall was undergoing an extensive renovation, and there were no people or historically significant artifacts in the building. The fire also severely damaged surrounding buildings, leading to the demolition and reconstruction of next-door Grainger Hall, and renovations of four dormitories.

One noted architectural feature is a slate front step at the front door of the building, which had an indentation worn into it from thousands of students walking across it over decades. Following the fire, the damaged step was located, and a replica was installed in the reconstructed Rotunda.

Jeanne d'Arc in 2005

Art

The centerpiece of the Rotunda is a reproduction of a sculpture of Joan of Arc by Henri Chapu, titled Joan of Arc Listening to the Voices, but popularly known as "Joanie on the Stony." The Rotunda dome itself contains four lunettes as well as paintings of Thomas Jefferson, Horace Mann, William Henry Ruffner, and Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry.