Vassar College Observatory

This article is about the historic observatory. For the currently functioning observatory, see Class of 1951 Observatory.

United States historic place

Vassar College Observatory

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

New York State Register of Historic Places

The Observatory in 2014 with its dome sealed

Location| Vassar College campus, Town of Poughkeepsie, NY
Coordinates| 41°41′18″N 73°53′36″W﻿ / ﻿41.688285°N 73.893310°W﻿ / 41.688285; -73.893310
Built| 1865
NRHP reference No.| 91002051
NYSRHP No.| 02714.000020
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| July 17, 1991[1]
Designated NHL| July 17, 1991[2]
Designated NYSRHP| July 17, 1991

The Vassar College Observatory is an astronomical observatory of the private Vassar College, located near the eastern edge of the Poughkeepsie, New York college's campus. Finished in 1865, it was the first building on the college's campus, older even than the Main Building, with which it shares the status of National Historic Landmark. The observatory's significance is due to its association with Maria Mitchell, the first widely known female astronomer in the United States.[3]

As the college has built a new observatory on a hill near the edge of campus, the building is no longer used for astronomy. In 2008 it underwent a large restoration and renovation and now houses the offices of the education department and classrooms.

## History

[edit]

Maria Mitchell (seated) inside the dome of the Vassar College Observatory

Mitchell, the first manager of the observatory, focused primarily on observing planets and their satellites. She was an avid advocate for using the observatory as part of courses of study. Students could frequently be found using both the main telescope and any number of smaller instruments. In addition to serving as an educational and research facility, the original observatory also served as a home for Maria and her father during and after her tenure as professor.[citation needed]

Professor Mary W. Whitney assumed the directorship in 1888. She had been a student of Mitchell's. Whitney focused on comets and published in 1890, 1892 and 1895 in the Astronomical Journal.[citation needed]

It was noted in Popular Astronomy in 1904, "In general the work done at Vassar is similar to that done at several of the smaller German and Italian observatories."[citation needed]

The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991.[2][4][5]

The old observatory is no longer used for research. While the building still stands, the telescope has been removed and most of the building is used as office space. In the late 1990s, a new observatory was built on the Vassar College campus. The Class of '51 Observatory houses two telescopes; one 20-inch reflector used primarily for public outreach, and a 32-inch reflector used for teaching and research.[6] It is tied with the Austin-Fellows telescope of the Stull Observatory at Alfred University for being the 2nd-largest optical telescope in the state of New York, the largest being the 40-inch reflector at SUNY Oneonta College Observatory.

### List of directors

[edit]

* Maria Mitchell (1865–1888)
* Mary W. Whitney (1888–1895)
* Caroline Furness (1895–1936)
* Maud Worcester Makemson (1936-1957)
* Henry Albers (1958–1990)[7]
* Fred Chromey (1990–2016)
* Colette Salyk (2016–present)

## See also

[edit]

* List of astronomical observatories
* List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Poughkeepsie, New York

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. ^ a b "Vassar College Observatory". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 18, 2007.
3. ^ "Maria Mitchell Observatory". Retrieved January 1, 2015.
4. ^ Miller, Page Putnam (September 25, 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Vassar College Observatory" (pdf). National Park Service.
5. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Vassar College Observatory–Accompanying photos" (pdf). National Park Service. 1989.
6. ^ "Class of 1951 Observatory". Retrieved January 1, 2015.
7. ^ "Memoriam". aevc.webs.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017.

* McKenney, Anne P., "What women have done for astronomy in the United States," Popular Astronomy, Vol. 12, pg. 171.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vassar College Observatory.

* Places Where Women Made History: Vassar College Observatory, at National Park Service
* Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vassar College
* Vassar College Observatory

* v
* t
* e

Vassar College

Campus|

* Bridge for Laboratory Sciences
* Casperkill
* Class of 1951 Observatory
* Cushing House
* Davison House
* Ely Hall
* Fonteyn Kill
* Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
* Jewett House
* Lathrop House
* Main Building
* Powerhouse Theater
* Raymond House
* Rombout House
* Seeley G. Mudd Chemistry Building †
* Strong House
* Students' Building
* Thompson Memorial Library
* Vassar Chapel
* Vassar College Observatory
* Vassar Lake
* Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film
* Williams House †

Student life|

* The Miscellany News
* Night Owls
* No Fog West Theater Company ‡
* The Philaletheis Society
* Vassar Haiti Project
* Vassar in popular culture
* WVKR-FM

People|

* Founder: Matthew Vassar
* President: Elizabeth Howe Bradley

Namesakes|

* 1312 Vassar
* Vassar Glacier

† denotes demolished • ‡ denotes defunct

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund
* List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
* University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

Portals:

* New York (state)
* Astronomy
* Stars
* Spaceflight
* Outer space
* Solar System
* Education
* Science

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template