Hereford Residential College was founded in 1992 as the second of UVA’s residential colleges. Originally called the ‘New’ College, it was re-named in 1993 in honor of former University President and physics professor Frank L. Hereford. The College is located atop Observatory Hill, which is part of Thomas Jefferson’s original land purchase when he founded the University. Together, with Vaughan House, where Hereford’s Principal resides, world-renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien designed the five buildings on Observatory Hill (Johnson, Malone, Norris, Weedon, & Whyburn) as a reinterpretation of Jefferson’s Academical Village plan with residence halls surrounding the central Hereford Lawn. You can read more about Williams and Tsien's work here.
