L.A. fires threaten historic Mt. Wilson Observatory

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Mt. Wilson Observatory is a historic architectural site that has survived more than 100 years in the rugged wilds of the San Gabriel Mountains high above L.A.

This week, however, the observatory’s very existence is in jeopardy as the Station fire continues to spread due to dry, hot weather conditions.

In a post today on the Chicago Tribune’s Cityscapes blog, Blair Kamin writes that the observatory was designed by D.H. Burnham & Co., the firm of the notable Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. This Friday would have been the architect’s 163rd birthday.

The Times reported today that crews battling the Station fire ‘believe that it’s only a matter of time before the blaze hits Mt. Wilson, but officials are hopeful that frantic work by hand crews and aircraft dropping flame retardant will protect the communications centers there.’

Ray Dombroski, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said that the fire is currently on two sides of Mt. Wilson, ‘about one-half mile to the north and about one mile southwest.’

Mt. Wilson Observatory is an astronomical research facility that sits at an altitude of 5,175 feet on the summit of Mt. Wilson. The site, which features the Hooker 100-inch telescope, was commissioned by astronomer George Ellery Hale and opened in 1904.

In 2003, the observatory renewed its land lease with the U.S. Forest Service for the next 99 years.

-- David Ng