Old University of Alabama Observatory

The Old University of Alabama Observatory, now known as Frederick R. Maxwell Hall, was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Although no longer used as an observatory, the building has been restored and preserved. It currently houses the university's Collaborative Arts Research Initiative (CARI), an interdisciplinary, arts-focused research engine driven by the interests of faculty from across the University. By facilitating collaborations across disciplines, CARI maximizes the impact of faculty arts research, while enriching the University, local, and regional communities.[1][2] Significant for its architectural and historical importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 14, 1972.[3]

Old University of Alabama Observatory
The old observatory in 1936
Alternative namesFrederick R. Maxwell Hall
OrganizationUniversity of Alabama
LocationAlabama
Coordinates33.21104°N 87.55014°W / 33.21104; -87.55014
Established1844
WebsiteUniversity of Alabama Astronomy Program
Telescopes
UnnamedTroughton & Simms 4" refracting transit
UnnamedTroughton & Simms 8" refracting equatorial
Location of Old University of Alabama Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

History
Old Observatory
Built1844
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.72000187[3]
Added to NRHPJanuary 14, 1972

The Greek Revival-style observatory building was completed in 1844, though the equatorial mounted Troughton & Simms 8-inch (0.20 m) refracting telescope was not mounted until 1849. The observation room was built with a large central section, capped by a revolving 18-foot (5.5 m) diameter dome. At the west end of the building was a transit instrument room with a north-south slit in the roof. Opposite the transit room was an office. The transit room contained a Troughton and Simms transit circle with a 4-inch (0.10 m) objective and a focal length of 5 feet (1.5 m). It used a 4-foot (1.2 m) circle, readable to a single arc second.[1][2][4]

The University of Alabama, converted to a military campus at the time, was largely destroyed during a Federal raid led by General John Croxton on April 4, 1865. The observatory was one of seven buildings on campus that escaped being burned to the ground, although it suffered extensive damage. The lens had been sent to nearby Bryce Hospital for safekeeping, although parts of the telescope were removed by some of the troops as trophies. The other campus buildings to survive the event were the President's Mansion (1841), Gorgas House (1829), the Little Round House (1860), and a few faculty residences.[1][2][4]

Though the observatory and instruments had been damaged in the raid, the telescopes and observatory were still usable for teaching purposes until the 1890s. A new observatory was built in Gallalee Hall in 1949 and a new telescope was installed by 1950.[5][6] The old observatory building was known simply as the Old Observatory until 1985, when it was renamed in honor of Frederick R. Maxwell, a retired consulting engineer for the university who had been responsible for protecting and preserving the remnants of the 1800s university campus. Following the renaming of the building it has been home to the Computer Based Honors Program and the university's Creative Campus program. It currently houses the university's Collaborative Arts Research Initiative.[1][2]

See also

References
  1. Mellown, Robert Oliver (1988). The University of Alabama: a guide to the campus. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press.
  2. Wolfe, Suzanne Rau (1983). The University of Alabama, a pictorial history. University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. Byrd, G.G. (1983). "An antebellum observatory in Alabama". Sky and Telescope. 65: 113. Bibcode:1983S&T....65..113B.
  5. "University of Alabama Observatory - 16" Telescope". Department of Physics and Astronomy. University of Alabama. May 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  6. "See the Stars Through UA's New Telescope". University of Alabama News. University of Alabama: Office of University Relations. 2005-02-01. Archived from the original on 2005-03-15. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
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