Old Knightridge Observatory demolished

 A Facebook post this week revealed the Old Knightridge Observatory was demolished, so The Bloomingtonian went to the site for a look.

Recent tracks from machinery and footprints lead to the site of a pile of bricks, and the remainder of a wall where the observatory once stood. According to the Facebook post, the building was still standing last Saturday but it was recently torn down. The building had fallen into disrepair.

The building was a bit of an Indiana curiosity, and an unofficial landmark. It was featured on the website Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/knightridge-space-observatory

A blog post says the observatory was built in the period of 1936-37, “by Indiana University for use by Professor Wilbur A. Cogshall and students.”

Here is a gallery of images from 2011:

Knightridge Observatory

And more about Cogshall:

https://astronomy.snjr.net/blog/?cat=19

It’s unclear how long the building had been abandoned, but it was surrounded by trees, and often a site where graffiti artists would spray paint on the building. The building joins a list of sites that helped make Bloomington odd or interesting, but are now gone.

The quarry made famous by the movie, Breaking Away has been filled in, and Rhinos All Ages Club was torn down last year for more apartments. The site of the former Players Pub was recently sold, and may also be demolished for more apartments.