Each academic unit, called a pavilion, was designed with a two-story temple front, while the library "Rotunda" was modeled on the Roman Pantheon. Jefferson referred to the university's grounds as the "Academical Village," and he reflected his educational ideas in its layout. The ten pavilions included classrooms and faculty residences; they formed a quadrangle and were connected by colonnades, behind which stood the students' rows of rooms. Gardens and vegetable plots were placed behind the pavilions and were surrounded by serpentine walls, affirming the importance of the agrarian lifestyle.[273] The university had a library rather than a church at its center, emphasizing its secular nature—a controversial aspect at the time.[274]
When Jefferson died in 1826, James Madison replaced him as rector.[275] Jefferson bequeathed most of his library to the university.[276] Only one other ex-president has founded a university, namely Millard Fillmore who founded the University at Buffalo.[277]

Reconciliation with Adams
In 1804, Abigail Adams attempted to reconcile Jefferson and Adams.
Jefferson and John Adams had been good friends in the first decades of their political careers, serving together in the Continental Congress in the 1770s and in Europe in the 1780s. 