National Historic Landmark · astronomical observatory · Washington, District of Columbia

Old Naval Observatory

United States historic place in Washington, District of Columbia. Built 1843. Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.

Open to visitNational Historic LandmarkBuilt 1843Listed 1966
US-D.C.(1891) p155 WASHINGTON, OBSERVATORYUS-D.C.(1891) p161 WASHINGTON, OLD AND NEW NAVAL OBSERVATORYHygienic Lab at the Naval Observatory groundsLaNature1874S2-8-1-Observatoire naval des Etats-Unis à Washington
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

Wikipedia · Old Naval Observatory

The Old Naval Observatory is a historic site at 23rd and E Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C. It is where the United States Naval Observatory was located from 1844 to 1893, when it moved to its present grounds. The original observatory building, built 1839–40, still stands, and is a designated National Historic Landmark as of 1965. The Washington meridian of 1850 passes through the Observatory.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

National Register of Historic Places
Property typeBuilding
Address23rd and E Sts., NW, Washington, DC
CountyDistrict of Columbia County
ListedOct 15, 1966
Reference number66000864
Built1843
Type of placeastronomical observatory
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark
Contributing resources1 buildings
StandingYes

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Open to the public
Address23rd and E Sts., NW, Washington, DC
Coordinates38.89502, -77.05145 · Directions ↗
Nearest national park unitVietnam Veterans Memorial · 0 mi · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearbyRock Creek Park Group Picnic Areas (Dc) 5 mi · Fort Dupont Park Picnic Areas 5 mi · Carderock Recreation Area Pavilion 10 mi
This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Why you would stay

Map

4 nearby listings

Reference

Exists because it is true

Sources

Location, dates, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000864. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.