{"nrhp_refnum":"85000633","name":"Ohio Wesleyan University Student Observatory","other_names":["Perkins Astronomical Observatory"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"OWU, W. William St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Delaware","county":"Delaware County","state":"OH","lat":40.298770510000054,"lon":-83.07631888999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Classical Revival observatory on Ohio Wesleyan University's campus in Delaware, Ohio, built about 1900 with a domed section and a one-story brick wing, originally called Perkins Observatory.","why_significant":"The nomination cites Criteria A and C. It is significant for its Classical Revival architecture and for its part in developing astronomy and science at Ohio Wesleyan in the late 19th century. It housed a 9 1/2 inch refracting telescope donated by Professor Hiram M. Perkins, advanced equipment for a college of its size.","narrative":"Built about 1900 on a hill west of the main Ohio Wesleyan University campus, this small observatory was a gift of astronomy professor Hiram M. Perkins, who taught at the school from 1873 to 1907. It was the first building on what became known as the Barnes Campus, or Observatory Hill. Its two parts are a domed observatory with a round-arched entry porch and a one-story brick wing with a pedimented pavilion. Rough-faced brick, quoins, sandstone trim, round-arched windows and a wrought iron balcony around the dome reflect Classical Revival design. The building held a 9 1/2 inch refracting telescope, also donated by Perkins, which was unusual for a college of the university's size at that time. It encouraged laboratory study of astronomy. After a research-oriented Perkins Observatory opened at Stratford in 1923-24, this building became the Student Observatory, a role it still fills today.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in good condition inside and outside, and still used as the student observatory.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.363588-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/85000633.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000633/80d572ce17-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000633/80d572ce17-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Phillip M Kukelhan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2012sept_WesleyanUniversityStudentObservatory000.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Phillip M Kukelhan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2012sept_WesleyanUniversityStudentObservatory000.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71984751","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112690387"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/delaware-county/ohio-wesleyan-university-student-observatory-85000633/"}