Tuesday, December 07, 1999
House tour is observatory fund-raiser
$1.5M needed to renovate roof, dome
BY SARA J. BENNETT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Juan Santamarina is president of the Observatory Center board.
(File photo)
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A Victorian house tour this weekend will allow people to visit festive homes and support renovation of the nearby Cincinnati Observatory Center.
Saturday's tour is the latest effort to raise $1.5 million for the 126-year-old observatory.
The planned face lift includes replacing the roof and distinctive dome of the 1873 main building and making the center accessible for those with disabilities.
The tour includes seven homes on Observatory Place, a cul de sac in Hyde Park, that have been decorated by local designers.
Visitors will end up at the observatory buildings on the cul de sac where they can buy holiday gifts.
Organizers hope to attract more than 500 visitors and raise $12,000 to $15,000.
“We always talk about fund raising and friend raising,” said Juan Santamarina, president of the Observatory Center board.
“People can come through and enjoy the area, and hopefully they'll come back for other programs.”
Often called the birthplace of American astronomy, the observatory is the oldest in the United States and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
It was founded in 1843 in what now is Mount Adams and moved to its present location in 1873. The center comprises the main building and the O.M. Mitchel Building, built in 1904.
More than 6,500 people visit the Observatory Center annually for educational programs, school tours and evening viewings.
The center is owned by the University of Cincinnati and operated by the Cincinnati Observatory Center Inc., a group of neighbors and supporters.
All of the $25 ticket price for Saturday's home tour will go toward renovation efforts.
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