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 Creative Campus Assembly, an organization dedicated to building a collaborative environment between students, faculty, and the community. Significant for its architectural and historical importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 14, 1972.

History

The Greek Revival-style observatory building was completed in 1844, though the equatorial mounted Troughton & Simms refracting telescope was not mounted until 1849. The observation room was built with a large central section, capped by a revolving 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 objective and a focal length of . It used a circle, readable to a single arc second.

The University of Alabama, converted to a military campus at the...
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