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Ladd Observatory
Photo: Ladd Observatory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
National Register of Historic Places

Ladd Observatory

On the National Register since 200026 years
Classical RevivalListed 2000Providence
DirectionsIts website ↗Add an old photo
About

About Ladd Observatory

Ladd Observatory, at 210 Doyle Ave. (Jct. of Doyle Ave. and Hope St.), was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jun 6, 2000. The Register lists it for its other and architecture, at the local level. It describes its style as Classical Revival, as it does for 12 other Rhode Island listings.

What it isAstronomical observatory at Brown University. 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 · 57 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1891 to today

  1. 1891Built, designed by Stone, Carpenter, and Willson
  2. 2000Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  3. 2026On the Register for 26 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 4 landmarks in about 20 minutes

210 Doyle Ave. (Jct. of Doyle Ave. and Hope St.), Providence · about 0.7 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Ladd ObservatoryStart here
  2. 2Freeman Plat Historic DistrictLate 19th century Revival · 0.3 mi on
  3. 3Olney Street-Alumni Avenue Historic DistrictQueen Anne · 0.3 mi on
  4. 4Brown, Moses, SchoolBuilt 1784 · 0.2 mi on
Around it

43 more Register listings within a mile

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

DDoyle Avenue Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.4 miBRochambeau Branch-Providence Public LibraryColonial Revival0.5 miDWayland Historic DistrictLate 19th century Revival0.6 miBSusan S. & Edward J. Cutler HouseBuilding0.6 miBMorris Brown HouseBuilding0.6 miBJeremiah Dexter HouseBuilding0.6 miDMoshassuck SquareDistrict0.7 miDBlackstone Boulevard-Cole Avenue-Grotto Avenue Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.7 miDElmgrove Gardens Historic Districtmid-19th century0.7 miBCharles Brackett HouseBuilding0.8 mi★Gov. Henry Lippitt HouseItalianate · Built 18620.8 miDStimson Avenue Historic DistrictQueen Anne0.8 miBWoods-Gerry HouseItalian Renaissance0.8 miBCongdon Street Baptist ChurchItalianate · Built 18740.8 miSRoger Williams National MemorialBuilt 19660.8 miDBlackstone Boulevard Realty Plat Historic DistrictLate 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals0.8 miSNorth Burial GroundSite0.8 miDSummit Historic DistrictMid-19th Century0.8 mi
Show the other 25
BSt. Stephen's ChurchGothic Revival0.9 mi★University Hall, Brown UniversityGeorgian0.9 miDHope-Power-Cooke Streets Historic DistrictColonial Revival0.9 miBEdward Dexter HouseBuilding0.9 mi★First Baptist MeetinghouseGeorgian0.9 mi★Fleur-de-Lis StudiosTudor Revival0.9 miBState ArsenalGothic Revival0.9 miBBrick SchoolhouseBuilding0.9 miBSixth District CourthouseBuilding0.9 miBSaint Martin's ChurchLate Gothic Revival0.9 miBRhode Island Tool CompanyBuilding0.9 miBNathaniel Pearce HouseBuilding1 mi★Gov. Stephen Hopkins HouseBuilding1 mi★Nelson W. Aldrich HouseBuilding1 miBJoseph Haile HouseBuilding1 miBMarket HouseBuilding1 mi★College Hill Historic DistrictDistrict1 miBHope Block and CheapsideVictorian1 miBDr. George W. Carr HouseQueen Anne1 miBElizabeth BuildingBuilding1 miBRhode Island StatehouseBuilt 19041 miDBlackstone Park Historic DistrictMultiple late 19th and early 20th Century Styles1 miBSons of Jacob SynagogueLate 19th century Revival1 miBOriental MillsBuilding1 miBButler HospitalBuilding1 mi
More like it

Classical Revival style, nearby

Other National Register listings within 25 miles described as Classical Revival.

South Street Station1.5 mi away
Temple Beth-El2.6 mi away
Downtown Pawtucket Historic District2.8 mi away
Old Town Historic District7.9 mi away

Memories of Ladd Observatory

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

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Questions about Ladd Observatory

Is Ladd Observatory on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Jun 6, 2000 (Register number 93000583).

Is Ladd Observatory a National Historic Landmark?

No. It is on the National Register; Rhode Island has 44 National Historic Landmarks. The nearest is Gov. Henry Lippitt House, 0.8 miles away.

Can you visit Ladd 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 Ladd Observatory?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 57 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 41375487 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.