4. A view of the north face of the building, as seen from the Warren Avenue side (photo: Nick Long, 2011 April). Home, Previous image, Next image.
4. A view of the north face of the building, as seen from the Warren Avenue side (photo: Nick Long, 2011 April).
MORE HISTORY: Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub was contracted to design the Observatory building. Now considered one of early Denver's leading designers, as well as having been ColoradoÕs first licensed architects, Roeschlaub designed several renowned buildings in the Denver area, including the Central City Opera House and DU's University Hall. His choice of style, represented by the Observatory, was Richardson Romanesque, a form characterized by stone, weight bearing walls and rounded arches. The building was completed in 1891, and thus actually predates the opening of the first non-Seminary campus structure, Roeschlaub's University Hall, by a year.
The optics for the twenty-inch refractor were crafted by Alvan Clark and Sons of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Alvan Clark was the foremost lens grinder of the day, and had previously done work for such prominent observatories as Lick and Harvard. The primary lens for Chamberlin, actually cast in France, cost $11,000. Today, the lens is considered priceless.
The mounting for the telescope was built by George N. Saegmuller of Washington DC. An integral part of the design was a set of 500- pound weights used for the telescope's clock drive. As the weights slowly descended, they powered the mechanism that kept the telescope centered on a single section of sky.
Home, Previous image, Next image.