Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Overcomes Earthquake Disaster

  • 07/29/14

Charlottesville, VA –A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the beginning of an era for the newly constructed Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Louisa County on Monday. School Board officials, Louisa County School administrators, staff, and members of the community gathered to celebrate the completion of the elementary school, which was destroyed by a magnitude-5.8 earthquake in August 2011. The earthquake caused severe structural damage, making a new school the best option for moving forward.

Timmons Group, a leader in multi-discipline civil engineering and professional consulting services teamed with Rancorn Wildman Architects to deliver architecture and engineering service for the school design. Timmons Group provided civil engineering, surveying and landscape architecture services for the school, which was based on the design for Moss-Nuckols Elementary School. The school will include a separate entrance for community access to facilities like the gym, and a large courtyard in the middle for future science and garden activities.

“It’s been a true pleasure to work with Louisa County Public Schools during the design and construction of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School,” said Craig Kotarski, Project Manager for Timmons Group. “To see the community move forward and rebuild after the earthquake is commendable. This has truly been a unique project to work on.” Since the earthquake, elementary students were attending school in mobile units outside Trevilians Elementary. “I know they are excited to return this fall,” said Kotarski.

For more information, visit www.timmons.com.

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.