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A hidden chemistry lab was unearthed by a worker doing renovations to the iconic Rotunda at the University of Virginia, and school officials say the room is directly linked to the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson, who helped design the building.

The "chemical hearth," which dates back to the 1820s, is thought to be one of the few remaining in the world. It featured two sources of heat for conducting experiments and a system for pulling out fumes.

, the room, described as "a semi-circular niche in the north end of the Lower East Oval Room," was preserved because the walls of the hearth were sealed shut in the mid-1800s:



The discovery was made by Matt Scheidt, who is a project manager for the company overseeing the renovations to the rotunda, according to the 

. Scheidt told the publication he wanted to know how thick the walls were. He added:


Scheidt tells NewsPlex most chemical hearths from the era have been destroyed, making the new discovery "unique," he says.

According to the university's press release, Jefferson, who was the school's founder, collaborated with the university's first professor of natural history, John Emmet, to equip the space.

In a letter from April 1823, Jefferson requested the class be located on the ground floor so water would not have to be pumped to upper floors, according to the release:


The university says the chemical hearth will remain on display once renovations to the rotunda are complete. A barrier will be set up to keep people from entering the alcove, but the inside of the chemical hearth should be visible, according to university officials.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


A previous version of this post misspelled Matt Scheidt's name as Schiedt.

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Brakkton Booker

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The 'chemical hearth,' dating back to the 1820s, was unearthed by workers doing renovations on the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. It is thought to be one of very few such labs still surviving.

Historic chemistry lab with links to Thomas Jefferson discovered behind wall

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