Darling's Observatory, built from 1916–17, was a private

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

built by J. H. Darling in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The site of the observatory was on West 3rd Sreet between 9th and 10th avenues in Duluth and sat about 325 feet above

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

(927 feet above sea level). Plans for the building were drawn by Richard E. Schmidt of Garden & Martin of Chicago. The blueprints for the steel dome were prepared by Darling himself after inspecting domes from various other observatories. The wooden building had a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

exterior finish. In 1965, the

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year progr ...

(UMD) took possession of the observatory's Telescope, where it remains on display. In 1972, the building, which had been repeatedly vandalized, was demolished.

Telescopes

The observatory contained a 9-inch

refracting telescope A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...

made by William Gaertner & Company of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Soon after Darling placed the order, Gaertner & Co. replied that they were unable to obtain glass for the lens because of limited supplies during World War I. However, John A. Brashear

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

manufacturer of some of the World's finest optical instruments, had on-hand a nine-inch objective, which Darling was able to obtain. The telescope was completed and set up in April 1917 at a cost at about $3,500. The Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium, located at the UMD, is now the home of Darling's Telescope.UMN.edu - Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium
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References

* "Private Observatory in Duluth," ''Popular Astronomy'', October 1917. {{DEFAULTSORT:Darlings Observatory 1917 establishments in Minnesota Astronomical observatories in Minnesota Defunct astronomical observatories Duluth, Minnesota

Telescopes

See also

References