The Dominion Observatory is a historic observatory in the

Botanic Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, New Zealand. It was the second observatory in Wellington. It was built in 1907 and originally named the Hector Observatory after

James Hector Sir James Hector (16 March 1834 – 6 November 1907) was a Scottish-New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. He went on to have a lengthy career as a government employe ...

until 1925. It was built to replace the

Colonial Observatory The Colonial Time Service Observatory was an observatory situated on the edge of the Bolton Street Cemetery in Wellington, New Zealand. It was built in 1869 to replace the Provincial Observatory, the line of sight of the Provincial Observatory had b ...

which was located in the

Bolton Street Cemetery Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as Bolton Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Wellington, New Zealand. Dating back to 1840, many notable people are buried here. Situated in the suburb of Thorndon, New Zealand, Thorndon, the Well ...

. The observatory was primarily used to maintain

New Zealand Mean Time Time in New Zealand is divided by law into two standard time zones. The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), 12 hours in advance of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) / military M (Mike), while the outlying Chatham Islands use Cha ...

for the Time Service based on astronomical observations. It was designed by architect John Campbell in the

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

style. The observatory was vacant in 1993, and in 2003 it was refurbished by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

to be used by private businesses.

References

External links

Dominion Observatory – Department of Conservation
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Wellington City Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Wellington Region 1900s architecture in New Zealand Astronomical observatories in New Zealand John Campbell (architect) buildings