Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
George Ellery Hale
Carnegie Observatories
Photographed by Craig Baker, July 14, 2020
1. George Ellery Hale Marker
Dedicated to George Ellery Hale, 1868-1938. First Director of this Observatory. Discoverer of solar magnetism. Founder of the Yerkes, Mount Wilson, and Palomar Observatories, the Astrophysical Journal, the California Institute of Technology, the International Astronomical Union, and the National Research Council. Guiding spirit behind many local civic and cultural institutions, including the Huntington Library and the Pasadena city plan.
This building was erected in 1912. Myron Hunt, Architect.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 34° 9.346′ N, 118° 8.054′ W. Marker is in Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is on Santa Barbara Street 0.1 miles west of Lake Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 813 Santa Barbara St, Pasadena CA 91101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles and in the Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cypress Court (approx. Ό mile away); Tournament of Roses History Walk (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Lutheran Church (approx. half a mile away); Colonial Court (approx. 0.7 miles away); Pasadena Central Library
this page online
More about this marker. The offices of the Carnegie Observatories were originally built to support the Mount Wilson Observatory and later the Palomar Observatory, and now support the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The 1912 office building and newer additions house the scientific and support staff, library, photographic plate collection, lecture hall, conference room, machine shop, and electronics and instrumentation labs.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. -- Two local observatories.
Photographed by Craig Baker, July 14, 2020
2. George Ellery Hale Marker
Photographed by Craig Baker, July 14, 2020
3. Carnegie Observatories Building
James Stokley (courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives), circa 1920
4. George Ellery Hale
"The astronomer George Ellery Hale (1868-1938) is shown at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, examining an image of the sun projected by a telescope he designed."
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 529 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on July 15, 2020. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
