New York's Observatories

**LeCom** · May 3rd, 2012, 04:40 PM

EDIT: The info was updated to include the information that Stache presented

Hey everyone, I've spent much of the past year researching New York's public observatories. Here are the basic results of my research:

Note: the timeline and the diagram are missing a few observatories, such as the World Building, Park Row Building, and the second Madison Square Garden.

**RoldanTTLB** · May 3rd, 2012, 05:07 PM

This is great. Out of curiosity, would you distinguish a roof-top bar as something other than an observatory?

**LeCom** · May 3rd, 2012, 05:39 PM

I do not count dining and drinking establishments unless they provide a general purpose observation deck. That's one of the reasons why places like Marriott Marquis weren't included. But anyway, thanks.

**Gulcrapek** · May 3rd, 2012, 05:44 PM

Very interesting and informative! Thanks. What was the motive to create this?

Nitpick: as far as I know Astrotower has been closed/abandoned for the past couple of years.

**LeCom** · May 3rd, 2012, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Gulcrapek

Very interesting and informative! Thanks. What was the motive to create this?.

It was part of my B.Arch thesis research.

Originally Posted by Gulcrapek

Nitpick: as far as I know Astrotower has been closed/abandoned for the past couple of years.

Oh really? How so? Please elaborate. Do you have any news articles to back up this claim? Not that I don't trust you, I just like to have legit sources for my research.

**tone99loc** · May 3rd, 2012, 06:29 PM

Cool, thanks for sharing. Wish there were more today.

**stache** · May 3rd, 2012, 08:32 PM

http://amusingthezillion.com/2009/12...ldies-survive/

Excerpt:

Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Astrotower

Despite the closing of Astroland and the fact that the Astrotower hasn’t operated as a ride for two years, Bruce Handy‘s photo gives us a hopeful feeling. We can imagine buds and then leaves on the tree and the Tower still standing tall. The Municipal Art Society and Save Coney Island say the structure is eligible for the State and National Registers. We hope the Astrotower will be a survivor like Steeplechase’s Parachute Jump.
Q: What are the future plans for the Astrotower? Could the operator choose to reactivate the Astrotower? Could the operator choose to remove the Astrotower from the site?
A: Respondents should include in their proposal how they will address the Astrotower. Reactivating the tower or removing it are both among the potential options.
Q: Do you have any drawings of the Astrotower? Can NYCEDC provide dimensions? Can NYCEDC provide the name of the manufacturer?
A. It is our understanding that the Astrotower was manufactured by the Swiss company Von Roll and installed in 1964. Von Roll was purchased by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group (www.doppelmayrctec.com) in 1996. The tower is approximately 260’ high.

**LeCom** · May 3rd, 2012, 11:16 PM

Well, son of a gun. So it's been closed since '09?

By the way, thanks a lot for your input. Many observatories that I researched are very obscure, so every little bit helps