Foggy Bottom in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Building 2
Old Naval Observatory (1844)
1. Building 2 Marker
Inscription.
Building 2. Old Naval Observatory (1844). This building once housed the U.S. Naval Observatory (1844-1893), the workplace of Navy scientists whose skill and perseverance made this institution one of the finest astronomical laboratories in the world. Here its superintendent, LT Matthew Fontaine Maury, wrote the first textbook on oceanography. As father of this science, Maury published among other works the Wind and Current Charts that revolutionized ocean travel, earning himself the title "Pathfinder of the Seas." In the east wing residence he mapped the under-ocean route for the first transatlantic telegraph cable. In 1877, astronomer Asaph Hall, using the world's largest telescope, discovered the two moons of Mars, Deimos and Phobos, during what has been termed the Observatory's "Golden Age." Through the 1870s and 1880s teams of this institution's astronomers traveled throughout the globe to study solar eclipses and transits of the planet Venus. The U.S. Naval Observatory's master clock, calibrated by celestial observations, became the time standard for the nation. After the Observatory moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in 1893, the building became home to the Naval Museum of Hygiene (1895) and the Naval Medical School (1902). Since 1942, offices of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery have occupied the old Naval Observatory.
This building once housed the U.S. Naval Observatory (1844-1893), the workplace of Navy scientists whose skill and perseverance made this institution one of the finest astronomical laboratories in the world. Here its superintendent, LT Matthew Fontaine Maury, wrote the first textbook on oceanography. As father of this science, Maury published among other works the Wind and Current Charts that revolutionized ocean travel, earning himself the title "Pathfinder of the Seas." In the east wing residence he mapped the under-ocean route for the first transatlantic telegraph cable. In 1877, astronomer Asaph Hall, using the world's largest telescope, discovered the two moons of Mars—Deimos and Phobos—during what has been termed the Observatory's "Golden Age." Through the 1870s and 1880s teams of this institution's astronomers traveled throughout the globe to study solar eclipses and transits of the planet Venus. The U.S. Naval Observatory's master clock, calibrated by celestial observations, became the time standard for the nation. After the Observatory moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in 1893, the building became home to the Naval Museum of Hygiene (1895) and the Naval Medical School (1902). Since 1942, offices of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery have occupied the old Naval Observatory.
Location. 38° 53.708′ N, 77° 3.093′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Foggy Bottom. Marker can be reached from 23rd Street Northwest south of E Street Northwest, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2300 E Street Northwest, Washington DC 20037, United States of America. Touch for directions.
U.S. Naval Medical School
Established May 27th 1902
Building 2
2300 E St., N.W.
3. Registered National Historic Landmark Plaque
Old Naval Observatory
has been designated a Registered National
Historic Landmark
under the provisions of the
Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 This site possesses exceptional value
in commemorating and illustrating
the history of the United States
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
1965
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 31, 2018. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on January 2, 2019. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 31, 2018. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
