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Lowell Observatory
Photo: en:User:Pretzelpaws, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
★ National Historic Landmark

Lowell Observatory

Flagstaff’s first place on the National RegisterListed Oct 15, 1966; only 0 of Arizona’s 1,402 listings are older
Listed 1966Flagstaff
DirectionsIts website ↗Add an old photo
About

About Lowell Observatory

Lowell Observatory was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct 15, 1966: the first place in Flagstaff to be listed. It was named a National Historic Landmark on Dec 21, 1965, one of 35 in Arizona. Only 0 of Arizona’s 1,402 listings are older. The Register lists it for its science, at the national level. It was listed as part of Flagstaff MRA (AD). The listing covers 4 acres.

What it isAstronomical observatory. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 121 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1894 to today

  1. 1894Built
  2. 1965Named a National Historic Landmark
  3. 1966Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  4. 2026On the Register for 60 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 2 landmarks in about 5 minutes

1 mile west of Flagstaff on Mars Hill, in Flagstaff, AZ · about 0.2 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Lowell ObservatoryStart here
  2. 2Charles Wilson Jr. HouseTudor Revival · 0.2 mi on
Around it

28 more Register listings within a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BHouse at 720 Grand Canyon AvenueQueen Anne0.4 miDFlagstaff Townsite Historic Residential District (Additional Documentation)Queen Anne0.5 miBFlagstaff ArmorySecond Renaissance Revival0.6 miBMilligan HouseArchitecture0.6 miBAshurst HouseQueen Anne0.6 miDNorth End Historic Residential DistrictBungalow0.6 miBC & M GarageCommercial0.7 miBOur Lady of Guadaloupe ChurchGothic0.7 miBI. B. Koch HouseNeo-Colonial0.8 miBArizona Lumber and Timber Company OfficeNeo-Colonial0.8 miDNorthern Arizona Normal School Historic DistrictRichardsonian Romanesque0.8 miBFirst Baptist ChurchLate 19th and 20th Century Revival · Built 19390.8 miBRailroad Addition Historic District (Boundary Decrease)Federal Moderne0.8 miBJ. M. Clark HouseCraftsman/Bungalow0.8 miBHouse at 310 South BeaverBungalow0.9 miDRailroad Addition Historic District (Boundary Increase)Bungalow/Craftsman0.9 miBBank HotelBuilding0.9 miDRailroad Addition Historic DistrictNeoclassical Revival0.9 mi
Show the other 10
BWeatherford HotelBuilt 18980.9 miBPresbyterian Church ParsonageQueen Anne0.9 miBH. E. Campbell HouseQueen Anne0.9 miBSouth Beaver SchoolBuilding1 miBLa Iglesia Metodista Mexicana, El Divino RedentorGothic Revival1 miBLa Cuidad de Mexico GroceryNeo-Colonial1 miDFlagstaff Southside Historic DistrictLate Victorian1 miStTwo Spot Logging TrainStructure1 miDRailroad Addition Historic District (Boundary Increase)District1 miBThe Ice HouseStone Construction1 mi

Memories of Lowell Observatory

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Questions about Lowell Observatory

Is Lowell Observatory on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Oct 15, 1966 (Register number 66000172).

Is Lowell Observatory a National Historic Landmark?

Yes, since Dec 21, 1965. Arizona has 35 National Historic Landmarks.

Can you visit Lowell Observatory?

It has its own website, the place to check whether and when it is open to visitors.

Where can I read the history of Lowell Observatory?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 121 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 75609527 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.