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Fuertes Observatory, 209 Cradit Farm Drive, Ithaca, Tompkins County, NY

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Fuertes Observatory, 209 Cradit Farm Drive, Ithaca, Tompkins County, NY

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Summary

2011 Leicester B. Holland Prize, Entry
Significance: Fuertes Astronomical Observatory, Located at Cornell University on a hill overlooking the North Shore of Beebe Lake, has provided many generations of students with their first experiences in stargazing. It is named after Civil Engineering Professor Estevan Fuertes, an instructor of 29 years at Cornell from 1873 to 1902, who taught students in the arts of Astronomical Observation in order to establish accurate geographic surveys and time keeping. Completed in 1917, the current structure is actually the fourth of fifth observatory built on Cornell campus, and the second purpose built observatory observatory (the first was also called Fuertes Observatory). Construction of the current observatory commences in April 1916, following a design by Professor of Architecture L.P. Burnham under the supervision of the Dept. of Civil Engineering. The main structure was completed in 1917, with equipment fully installed by 1923. The building is 87' by 18' and constructed of brick and stucco, with a 24' diameter steel dome used to house the main 12" refracting telescope. The ground floor features a classroom, secure equipment storage rooms, an office, as well as lighted display shelved for displaying photographs taken with the telescope. Today the observatory's utility is much reduced by light pollution from the construction and expansion of Cornell's North Campus dining and residential facilities. However, introductory astronomy classes continue to hold labs at Fuertes, with open viewing nights every Friday.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1801
Survey number: HABS NY-6391
Building/structure dates: 1916 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1923 Subsequent Work

date_range

Date

1915 - 1980
person

Contributors

Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
Fuertes, Estevan
Cornell University
Burnham, L.P.
Department of Civil Engineering
Arzola, Robert, project manager
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Location

create

Source

Library of Congress
copyright

Copyright info

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html

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