Among the most notable landmarks on the Grounds is the brightly painted Beta Bridge, which crosses over the C&O railroad tracks near the Fralin Museum of Art. The bridge was named after the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house which was built beside the bridge in 1927. However, it was not until many years later that painting the bridge became a unique tradition for UVA students.

There are often hundreds of layers of messages covering Beta Bridge’s concrete walls – announcements for campus events, current affair bulletins, club members recruitments, commemorations of students lost or horrific world events, cheers for UVA athletic teams, and so on. Students who paint the bridge are expected to honor the tradition of not covering over a freshly painted message for at least a day and no profanity or racist remarks. If you see “Thx Beta” painted on the bridge that is to thank Beta Theta Pi for being the unofficial caretakers of this special local landmark.