A chemical lab designed by Thomas Jefferson has been discovered by workers during renovation of the University of Virginia's Rotunda. The lab dates back from the 19th century and could be oldest lab in the US, according to reports.

The university revealed on Monday that the workers unearthed the lab behind a wall during an ongoing two-year renovation. The room was sealed in the mid-1840s. In 1895, it was protected from a fire which destroyed a huge portion of the building's interior.

Brian Hogg from the Office of the Architect for the University said the school believed Jefferson and John Emmet had designed the lab. Emmet is believed to be the first professor of natural history at the University of Virginia. According to Hogg, there are possibilities that Emmet used the lab.

The presence of the lab showed that chemical education was part of the study in the country a long time ago, Hogg said. The university believed that the lab was sealed when it was moved to an annex of the Rotunda.

Mark Kutney of the University Architect's office said, "The hearth is significant as something of the University's early academic years. The original arch above the opening will have to be reconstructed, but we hope to present the remainder of the hearth as essentially un-restored, preserving its evidence of use".

As per the university, after the ongoing renovations on the Rotunda, the lab will be on full display behind a barrier.