The Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.
“Listing is recognition of a property’s importance,” said Claudette Stager with the Tennessee Historical Commission, which administers the program in Tennessee. “Properties that are listed in the National Register are important for history, architecture and culture.”
The Arthur J. Dyer Observatory was built on a hilltop in the southern part of Davidson County in 1953. The property consists of the observatory, 1953 house and garage and 2006 Star Chamber. Chattanooga architects and amateur astronomers Clarence T. and R. Bruce Jones designed the observatory for Vanderbilt University. Arthur J. Dyer, head of the Nashville Bridge Company, had the dome built and was responsible, along with Vanderbilt astronomy professor Carl K. Seyfert, for getting the observatory completed.
“The observatory came about as a result of the influence and effort of some truly great astronomers and city leaders,” said Rocky Alvey, assistant director and superintendent of the observatory. “As a result of the commitment of these individuals, tens of thousands of people since 1953 have had eye- and mind-opening astronomical experiences, and that tradition continues to this day at one of Nashville’s most wonderful historic and architectural treasures.”
The historical significance of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory that helped put it on the National Register includes:
* Display cases filled with the original equipment of E. E. Barnard, discoverer of the fifth moon of Jupiter, 16 comets, dark nebulae and more.
* Carl Seyfert, whose legacy includes having classes of galaxies, the Seyfert Galaxies, named after him, conducted his own research at the observatory until his death in 1960.
* The observatory contains a unique and versatile telescope called a Baker Reflector-Collector that was one of the first of its kind to be built.
Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/.
Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory serves as a community resource for the teaching of science as well as a venue for public, private and corporate events. Each year Dyer hosts thousands of visitors through school tours, observation nights, scout events and other community programs, such as Bluebird on the Mountain.
The observatory is located at 1000 Oman Drive, off Granny White Pike between Old Hickory Boulevard and Otter Creek Road, near Radnor Lake. A map with information and directions is available at www.dyer.vanderbilt.edu/directions.htm.
Media Contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS
missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu