[35mm Ohio] Warner And Swasey Observatory
I don’t quite remember how I first heard about this place or when I first added it to my map of potential locales to photograph for this project. Although the history and photography of abandoned places were the genesis behind this website, it had been awhile since I’d done any substantial urban exploration work aside from The Rubber Bowl.
Photographs made with a Pentax K1000 and Kodak Ultramax 400.
Worchester Warner and Ambrose Swasey had commissioned the construction of this observatory. Upon its completion in 1919, the facility was donated to the Case School of Applied Science (today known as Case Western Reserve University). The two businessmen had founded the Warner and Swasey Company back in 1890 which had quickly become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialized machinery. While they’d come to be known for their astronomical telescopes, the Cleveland firm also specialized in military instruments and industrial lathes. Their gift to the educational institution would be located in what was then the outer-reaches of Cleveland’s urban geography. A lack of light pollution made the site ideal for gazing into the sky and as Case’s programs expanded, so did the observatory. More telescopes were added, as well as, additions to house a lecture hall and library. Warner and Swasey passed away in 1929 and 1937 respectively.
By the mid-20th Century, Cleveland’s urbanization had grown so much that light pollution from the city was negatively affecting the research that could be performed at the facility. A new site was constructed farther East in a rural area. While this new complex received the Warner and Swasey building’s primary telescope, another optic tool was installed at the East Cleveland site so that the impressive building could continue to operate in some capacity.
In 1978, Case Western Reserve University made a deal with a research group in Arizona. This arrangement saw some of Case’s astronomical equipment from both the East Cleveland and rural sites moved to Arizona. In the ensuing years, staff were relocated back to Case’s main campus in the city while the observatory property was abandoned and then sold off in 1983. The site languished for years as a graffiti and vandalism target until an investor emerged in 2005 with plans to renovate the structure into a private residence. That enterprising individual’s dream would fall short though when he was convicted of mortgage fraud and sentenced to two years in prison. The building returned to a neglected state and has been abandoned ever since.
On a cold and sunny morning, I never saw another person in the neighborhood. There were deer, though, and the former observatory building is riddled with physical reminders that people have paid visits.
The building has an eerie atmosphere mainly due to the lack of light inside, the distinct domes, and the designs on the lobby floor peeking out from under the dust. It’s the kind of place that would make the true believers of “ghost hunting” television shows pique up, but for those of us grounded in reality—the observatory is another reminder of a grand and historic structure left to waste.
