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Dominion Observatory, Wellington facts for kids

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Dominion Observatory
Dominion Observatory.jpg
Dominion Observatory
General information
Architectural style Edwardian Baroque
Location Wellington's Botanic Gardens
Town or city Wellington
Country New Zealand
Coordinates 41°17′02.9″S 174°46′05.6″E / 41.284139°S 174.768222°E / -41.284139; 174.768222
Completed 1907
Design and construction
Architect John Campbell
Designated: 25 September 1986
Reference #: 4700

The Dominion Observatory is a historic observatory in the Botanic Gardens in Wellington, New Zealand. It was the second observatory in Wellington. It was built in 1907 and originally named the Hector Observatory after James Hector until 1925. It was built to replace the Colonial Observatory which was located in the Bolton Street Cemetery.

The observatory was primarily used to maintain New Zealand Mean Time for the Time Service based on astronomical observations.

It was designed by architect John Campbell in the Edwardian Baroque style.

The observatory was vacant in 1993, and in 2003 it was refurbished by the Department of Conservation to be used by private businesses.

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