U. of Virginia Is Reopening the 1858 Varsity Hall in a New Location

Varsity Hall, built in 1858 as the University of Virginia’s infirmary, will soon reopen — in a new location — as the home of the university’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, according to the Associated Press.

Designed by William A. Pratt, the university’s original superintendent of buildings and grounds, Varsity Hall has also served at one time or another as a fraternity house, as faculty offices, and as a meeting place for the university’s Board of Visitors, among other roles. In 2005 the university spent $3.7-million to move it 185 feet to get it out of the way of other renovation projects. The interior has since been restored to its original appearance.