TenBerke and Hanbury Complete New Guesthouse for Gathering and Community at the University of Virginia

April 29, 2026

The University of Virginia’s new Virginia Guesthouse officially opened to guests and visitors today!

Positioned at the hinge between Central Grounds and North Grounds, Virginia Guesthouse was conceived as a hotel, conference center, visitor hub, and social commons gathered into one building. As an anchor of the Emmet-Ivy Corridor, it connects the historic academic Grounds to North Grounds, a major center of athletics and student life at UVA. More than a hotel, Virginia Guesthouse is designed as a welcoming gateway to the University for prospective students, faculty, alumni, conference guests, and the broader public.

Virginia Guesthouse offers 214 guestrooms and a broad mix of spaces for gathering, dining, and events. Three distinct food-and-beverage venues animate the building throughout the day: The Counter Café at the ground-floor lobby, Poplar for full-service dining, and The Perch, a rooftop terrace bar overlooking the University and the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond. With more than 22,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including two ballrooms and a 10,000-square-foot main ballroom, the building is designed to support events ranging from large conferences to smaller university and community gatherings. TenBerke served as Design Architect and Interior Designer, with Hanbury Architects as Architect of Record and Dumont Janks as Landscape Architect.

“The Virginia Guesthouse anchors the Emmet-Ivy Corridor forming a bridge between the University and Charlottesville, between arrival and belonging, and between academic life and public life. The project treats hospitality not as a separate program, but as a civic act—one that welcomes prospective students, faculty, alumni, conference guests, and the public into the daily life of UVA.”

-Stephen Brockman, Principal