Old Cabell Hall

A bookend to the University's Rotunda, Cabell Hall was one of three buildings designed for the south end of the Lawn by architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. Completed and dedicated in 1898, the building was named in honor of Joseph C. Cabell, a member of both the Virginia legislature and the UVA Board of Visitors, and a steadfast ally of Mr. Jefferson as he sought to win state approval and funding for the University.

Since 1951, Cabell Hall has housed the Department of Music and the Music Library as well as the University's principal lecture and concert hall. Its auditorium has a seating capacity of 851 and hosts more than 200 public performances and events each year.

Hanging above the stage inside the auditorium is a copy of Raphael's School of Athens that replaced the copy lost in the Rotunda fire of 1895. This copy was completed in 1900 by George W. Breck and presented to the University as a gift from an anonymous alumnus in 1902. The Skinner Organ in the auditorium was a gift from Andrew Carnegie in 1906 and was dedicated during a recital by Samuel Baldwin on March 18, 1907.

The outside of Cabell Hall features a pediment sculpture by George J. Zolnay that was completed the same year as the building. The sculpture is an allegorical work based on John 8:23: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Directly in front of Cabell Hall stands a 1907 bronze sculpture, created by Moses J. Ezekiel, of blind Homer and his guide.

To complement George Breck's copy of the “School of Athens” inside the Auditorium, a mural was commissioned for the lobby of Old Cabell Hall. Lincoln Perry composed the mural known as “The Student’s Progress” over the course of 16 years. It was completed in 2012.The mural has 29 panels and follows the life of the fictional UVA student, Shannon, from her undergraduate days and into her adult life as a professor at the University. To learn more about the creation of the mural, you can visit the artist's website.