herr2ck: Watching The Stars

McMillin Observatory was Ohio State’s first astronomical observatory building, and it served as an icon of the Mirror Lake area until the 1970s. The current campus observatory is unceremoniously tucked on top of Smith Lab. McMillin Observatory’s site is bordered by Mirror Lake to the north, 12th Avenue to the south, Kuhn House to the east, and Pomerene Hall to the west.

History

McMillin Observatory’s appearance after its additions, with the tower of Orton Hall in the background. (Knowlton Archives)

McMillin Laboratory was conceived as early as 1891, when professor Henry C. Lord presented plans by Frank Packard to the Board of Trustees. The plans were approved and funds were appropriated, but the project was canceled a month later, as “the funds [were] insufficient to justify the expense.” The existing building was designed in 1895 by university architect Joseph N. Bradford. Its construction began that June by Charles H. Woodruff, and the building was completed by the end of 1895. McMillin Observatory was dedicated on June 16, 1896. Upon construction, it was built with a telescope with a 12.5 inch diameter lens, a small laboratory, and a planetarium.

Interior of the dome and telescope, 1897. (Buckeye Stroll)

In 1902, two additions were built that extended northward and westward from the original building. These were designed by Henry Lord. In 1917, a “wireless receiving outfit” was gifted to Ohio State for use at McMillin. There were also two garages that were built onto the east side of the northern addition, one in 1910 at the earliest and the other in 1956, both for the university president’s use.

By 1931, McMillin Observatory’s usefulness had begun to lapse. With the growing city of Columbus causing light pollution and the 40-year-old telescope, Ohio Wesleyan University’s Perkins Observatory became the new venue for astronomy research. McMillin’s staff was reduced to a lone professor and student that year, and Ohio State collaborated with OWU as the latter struggled with funding during the Great Depression.

Closer exterior view of McMillin Observatory. (Historic Campus Map)

McMillin Observatory’s usage mostly ceased in the 1950s, when the Perkins Observatory in Delaware opened with a much larger telescope. Wikipedia’s information about that building contradicts this, but the tone on that article is very odd and much of its information is uncited, so I’m gonna go with Buckeye Stroll’s attribution on this. Classes were still held there until 1962, when the dome shutters became unsafe to use. Its demolition was approved as early as 1963, but the building continued to stand even as Smith Lab’s observatory opened in 1968. McMillin Observatory’s demolition occurred in the summer of 1976. The original telescope still exists at the Ballreich Observatory in Tiffin.

McMillin Observatory was named after Emerson McMillin (1844-1922). Born in Gallia County, he served in the Civil War and quickly rose to prominence after being named the superintendent of a gas works in Ironton that he worked to construct. He eventually became the manager and president of various iron/steel companies in the Ohio River Valley. By 1901, McMillin controlled 40 public utility companies and was president of 60 while heading a banking firm that had $40 million in assets. He donated money to construct the observatory and equip it, but stipulated the university pay an equal amount to improve the surrounding landscape (Mirror Lake).