University of Michigan

The Detroit Observatory, 1854

"The Detroit Observatory, named in honor of major donors from Detroit, was the centerpiece of President Henry Philip Tappan's efforts to transform the University of Michigan into one of the first research universities in the United States.  Tappan recruited Franz Brünnow, a German astronomer, as the first director of this early scientific laboratory.  The buildings stands today essentially as it was in 1854.  The dome turns manually by means of a rope pulley, and the original astronomical instruments remain intact and operational, including the meridian circle and the refracting the;escopes, which in their day were among the largest in the world.  In 1973, the Detroit Observatory was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in science, education, and architecture."

1997   History and Tradition Committee   Site #2