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Astronomy and Astrophysics Other Sites

NATIONAL REGISTER SITES CONSIDERED BUT NOT RECOMMENDED FOR DESIGNATION AS NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS

Old Observatory
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Listed in the National Register in 1972 as significant in architecture and education. The Old Observatory is a small white Greek Revival building built in 1844 under the supervision of Frederick A.P. Barnard, professor of chemistry and mathematics (1837-54) and later president of Columbia University. The observatory currently houses the offices of the consulting engineer of the University of Alabama.

Harquahala Peak Observatory
Yuma, Arizona

Listed in the National Register in 1975 as significant in science. From 1920 to 1925 the Harquala Peak Observatory was operated by the Smithsonian Institution for the purpose of taking solar observations and measuring solar constants. In 1925 the observatory was moved to Table Mountain, California. Only two buildings and no equipment remain. Both buildings are in poor condition.

Smithsonian Institution Shelter
Mount Whitney (Sequoia National Park)
California

Listed in the National Register in 1976 as significant in science. The shelter was built in 1909 to house visiting scientists on the summit of Mount Whitney during their studies of solar radiation.

Chamberlain Observatory
University of Denver
2930 East Warren Avenue
Denver, Colorado

Listed in the National Register in 1980 as significant in architecture, education and science. The Chamberlain Observatory was completed in 1891 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The lens for the 20-inch refractor was made by Alvan Graham Clark.

Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory
Georgetown University
Washington, DC.

Listed in the National Register in 1973 as significant in the areas of architecture, education and science. The observatory is a small Greek Revival structure that was completed in 1844. The observatory is no longer used due to the glare of the night lights of the city of Washington. The building is now used to store water samples for the Biology Department. The original 5-inch refractor and a later 12-inch refractor are still used by the astronomy club of the university.

Earlham College Observatory
Earlham College
Richmond, Indiana

Listed in the National Register in 1975 as significant in architecture, education and science. The observatory was completed in 1861 as a simple unadorned early Victorian educational building. The observatory contains a 6.5-inch refracting telescope purchased from pioneer American astronomer R. B. Rutherford, a transit telescope, and a German astronomical clock purchased in 1861.

McKim Observatory
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

Listed in the National Register in 1978 as significant in education and science. The McKim Observatory was completed in 1884 and contains a 9.53-inch refracting telescope made by Alvan Clark on a Warner and Swasey mounting.

Harvard University Observatory
Sears Tower
60 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Sears Tower of the Harvard University Observatory was listed in the National Register in 1986 as part of a larger thematic nomination titled, "The Cambridge Multiple Resources Area Nomination." The Sears Tower was previously considered for National Historic Landmark designation in 1964 under Volume XX or the "Arts and Sciences" theme study but was deferred at that time by the National Park System Advisory Board until the completion of a general theme study considering other astronomical observatories.

Although the Sears Tower is an important astronomical observatory dating back to 1844 and associated with the productive careers of astronomers William Cranch Bond (1789-1859) and Edward C. Pickering (1846-1919), the building and its surroundings have been drastically altered in the last one hundred years and no longer possess sufficient integrity to be considered for designation as a National Historic Landmark. Only the central core of the observatory with the 15-inch telescope remains intact. Both of the original flanking wings containing the astronomy professor's residence to the east and classrooms and library to the west have been replaced by modern buildings. The original entry way and heavy granite door frame has been blocked by later additions. Only one of the original iron balconies surrounding the dome, used to set up smaller telescopes, remains intact. The original open space surrounding the Sears Tower is now filled with modern university buildings.

Detroit Observatory
University of Michigan
Observatory and Anne Streets
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Listed in the National Register in 1972 as significant in architecture, education and science. The Detroit Observatory was constructed in 1854 combining both Greek Revival and Italianate elements under the direction of Henry Philip Tappan, president of the University of Michigan. The original 12-inch refracting telescope was made by American telescope maker Henry Fitz in 1854.

Goodsell Observatory
(New Observatory)
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

Listed in the National Register in 1975 in architecture, communications, education, engineering, literature and science. The Goodsell Observatory was completed in 1887 as a Romanesque Revival style building. The observatory contains an 8-1/4-inch refracting telescope built by the firm of Alvan Clark and Sons of Cambridge, Massachusetts and a 16-inch refractor telescope made by John Brashear. The observatory is also associated with the work of William Wallace Payne, a mathematician and astronomer who was responsible (1882) for the establishment of Popular Astronomy Magazine.

Barnard Observatory
University of Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi

Listed in the National Register in 1978 as significant in architecture and education. The Barnard Observatory was completed in 1859 as a two-story red brick structure of Greek Revival design. Chancellor Frederick A.P. Barnard built the observatory to house a large telescope that would make the university an unrivaled center for the study of astronomy. Barnard ordered a large 19-inch lens from the firm of Alvan Clark in Cambridge, Massachusetts for his telescope, but the outbreak of the Civil War prevented the delivery of the lens. The lens was eventually acquired by the Dearborn Observatory at Northwestern University. The observatory building now houses the Center for the Study of Southern Culture.

Ohio Wesleyan University Student Observatory
(Perkins Observatory)
Ohio Wesleyan University
West William Street
Delaware, Ohio

The Ohio Wesleyan Student Observatory was listed in the National Register in 1985 as part of a multiple resource nomination for titled, "Ohio Wesleyan University Thematic Group." The buildings in the nomination are listed as significant in the areas of architecture and education. The Perkins Observatory was constructed in 1900 and contains a 32-inch reflecting telescope, one of the largest in the country that the public may lock through.

Buckstaff Observatory
University of Wisconsin
2119 North Main Street
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Listed in the National Register in 1979 as significant in the areas of education, science and associated with the career of Ralph N. Buckstaff, a prominent local industrialist who headed a family furniture and cabinet making business. Buckstaff, with no formal scientific training, began the observatory in 1924 for the study of astronomy and meteorology. The Buckstaff Observatory was sold to a private company recently and is no longer associated with the University of Wisconsin. The building may no longer be extant.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Washburn Observatory
Madison, Wisconsin

Listed in the National Register in 1985 as significant in architecture, education and science. The Washburn Observatory was completed in 1882 as an Italianate style building. The observatory contains a 15-1/2-inch refracting telescope completed by Alvan Clark and Sons of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The following sites are listed in the National Register as "Observatories" but are not astronomical observatories.

Portland Observatory
138 Congress Street
Portland, Maine

The Portland Observatory is a signal tower built in 1807. This site should be evaluated for national significance under the Maritime Theme Study.

Weston Observatory
Oak Hill, Derryfield Park
Manchester, New Hampshire

The Weston Observatory was built in 1887 as an observation tower for the citizens of Manchester, New Hampshire.

Last Modified: Mon, Nov 5 2001 8:00:00 pm PDT
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