For the first time, those with physical and mobility disabilities can navigate from the Central Grounds Garage to the Lawn for the University of Virginia’s Final Exercises without taking a detour through Newcomb Hall’s elevator.
Previously, staff, students, faculty and visitors with physical and mobility disabilities who parked in the Central Grounds Garage had to plan their arrivals and departures for Newcomb Hall’s operating hours, or risk being locked out of the building. During the main academic year, Newcomb Hall is open most days from 7 a.m. to midnight, but only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the summer.
Outside of those hours, travel between the Academical Village and the Central Grounds Garage would require a circuitous detour via McCormick Road and Newcomb Road South.
The new outdoor ramp offers an alternative to Newcomb Hall for people traveling from the Central Grounds Parking Garage to the Lawn. (Map by John DiJulio, University Communications)
“This new infrastructure helps shift perspectives in seeing UVA not only for its beauty and history, but also for its commitment to inclusion,” said Abby Fines, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology who focuses on adapted physical activity. “Real access is not just about physical entry. It’s about whether people feel they can fully participate, belong and thrive here.”
The new $1.3 million ramp – funded by the Barrier Free Access Committee and the Grounds Improvement Program – is on the south side of Newcomb Hall. Linking the bricked plaza between the UVA Bookstore and Newcomb Hall’s main entrance to the terrace above, it completes the first phase of a two-phase Central Grounds Accessibility Project.
“The Central Grounds Accessibility Project has been a high priority for the Barrier Free Access Committee for years,” said Helen Wilson, senior landscape architect in the Office for the Architect for the University. “If you’re a person who can’t negotiate stairs, you have to go through Newcomb Hall and use the one elevator. But there’s no alternative and sometimes the building is not open.”
Wilson said the University worked with Charlottesville landscape architectural firm Wolf-Josey to design the project. The ramp, which has a gradual elevation change of about 10 feet, is made of standard brick pavers and is bracketed with lighted handrails.
