CINCINNATI

 In Cincinnati there is a beautiful neighborhood called Mt. Lookout.  Interesting name, don't you think?

It all goes back to another Cincinnati "FIRST".  Here's the way the story goes.  In 1842, the Cincinnati Astronomical Society was founded and the next year, Cincinnati became the first city in the Western Hemisphere to have a public observatory.  It earned the city the name:  "Birthplace of American Astronomy."  The observatory was built on Mt. Ida.  This was such a big deal that President John Quincy Adams attended the opening.  In his honor, the name of Mt. Ida was changed to Mt. Adams.

Sadly, as the city grew, the core area which the observatory overlooked, often became laden with smoke and dust.  It was decided to move the facility to an area away from city center to improve visibility.  Famed Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford was commissioned to design a new building to accommodate the huge telescope.  He designed it using the original building's cornerstone.  In 1871, the cornerstone was moved from Mt. Adams to it's present location.  The new structure was opened and the area around it called Mt. Lookout. 

Here is the famous structure.  It is open to the public at times for classes and stargazing.  See their website: www.cincinnatiobservatory.org for details.