Pavilion III was the second pavilion to be constructed at the University of Virginia, and was begun in June of 1818. At the time, it was referred to as Pavilion Two West, or the "Corinthian Pavilion."  The design is based on the Corinthian order depicted in Andrea Palladio's Il Quattro Libri dell' Architettura, a copy of which Thomas Jefferson asked to borrow from James Madison in a letter dated November 15, 1817 (Jefferson had sold his copies to the Library of Congress in 1815). The pavilion was nearly complete by August of 1819; however, the elaborate Corinthian capitals, which had to be carved from marble in Italy and shipped to Virginia, were not installed until September of 1823.
 
The exterior of Pavilion III that can be seen today is largely the same as it would have been in Jefferson's time, as no major additions were made. The biggest change was the removal of the parapet in the late 1880s or early 1890s, which has been reconstructed in the model based on historic photos and Jefferson's original drawing.

See also: Pavilion III Animation, Pavilion III Inspire Animation, and Pavilion III Render Gallery