“I love this. We have a real treasure here in Geauga County.” – Ted Schienke
A grand beginning tucked within the beauty of nature’s grand design drew a steady stream of celebrants Saturday to Geauga Park District’s Observatory Park in Montville Township.
“It feels good to finally complete work at this park,” said GPD Executive Director John Oros. “With any of our park development projects, the end goal is to open to the public.”
Public access and public enjoyment is a major motivator in GPD’s business, added Oros.
“The Nassau Astronomical Station with the Warner & Swasey telescope is one of a kind in Northeast Ohio. This makes this open to the public event very special,” he said.
The Nassau Astronomical Observatory Station Opening Celebration included tours and telescope viewing, planetarium shows inside the Robert McCullough Science Center, hands-on activities presented by NASA Glenn Research Center, and outdoor showing — complete with popcorn — of the movie “Wall-E” at dark.
Astronomy Naturalist Chris Mentrek, the park district’s leader of programs at the Silver-Tier International Dark Sky Park, greeted station-goers, who mostly shuttled over or walked the nearly seven-tenths of a mile trail from the main location.
“It’s very exciting to finally have this vintage observatory restored and open to the public again,” said Mentrek, who admitted it has been a long-term quest for him personally.
“I grew up near a derelict observatory, Case’s former Warner & Swasey Observatory on Taylor Road in East Cleveland,” he said. “It was a childhood fascination that there used to be a telescope in the neighborhood that was opened to the public. It’s been lots of fun to have a hand in making that old telescope available in its Montville home.”
Visitors toured the highly anticipated unveiling of the restored station in groups of 45, weaving through first floor exhibits and former on-display living quarters before ascending to the second floor for the main attraction: the 36-inch newly restored Cassegrain telescope.
“Most of the work at the Nassau Astronomical Station was restoring the building to working order,” Mentrek said. “The only new additions were the additions of restrooms and an elevator.”
The rest of the restoration involved a new roof, repairs to the observatory dome and other work needed to turn a long-abandoned building into a functioning visitors’ center, he explained.
Chardon resident Ted Schienke’s eyes were aglow as he circled around the massive telescopic structure, recalling a visit decades ago when it formerly was housed at Case Western Reserve University.
“Who else has something like this?” Schienke said, after taking his turn and walking up a wide, moveable set of steps to peer inside the telescope.“I love this. We have a real treasure here in Geauga County.”
Restoration of the telescope involved refurbishing its two mirrors. Illinois-based H. L. Clausing Inc. performed the work.
“The mirrors are enormous pieces of Pyrex glass. The primary mirror alone is 36 inches wide and 8 inches thick,” Mentrek said. “They are then coated with an extremely-thick coating of aluminum to make them reflective and then given a thin, clear coating to protect that shiny surface.”
Dr. Peter Mack, of Astronomical Consultants and Equipment, carried out the repairs and upgrades to the telescope’s mechanical and electrical systems, he added, along with a lot of work by dedicated volunteers from the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society.
CVAS’s Marty Mullet helped answer questions from the curious, and continued to marvel at the astronomical station.
“We are very excited,” he said, just before exiting the celebration to head to Tennessee to watch the upcoming solar eclipse. “It’s phenomenal. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
He added, “The opening of the Nassau Astronomical Station is just the beginning. The dual observatories in Observatory Park will be sharing the sky with the public for years to come.”
Mentrek said they’ve tried to strike the right balance between preserving the historic character of a vintage, 20th-century observatory while also making it a functional place for people to engage in astronomy.
“I’m really pleased with the way it’s turned out,” he said.
Sounds of crickets mixed with sounds of soft music as the night skies slowly darkened, while visitors waiting in line sporadically gazed up into the lighted opening near the off-limits second floor cat walk.
“It’s quite a gem for Geauga County,” Chester Township’s Anita Silverman said. “You are really out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“It’s a one-of-a-kind experience,” Oros said. “The opportunity to utilize the largest public viewing telescope in the state of Ohio with our Astronomy Naturalist Chris Mentrek will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Added Oros, “Moving forward, we encourage county residents to take advantage of one of our naturalist programs now that this facility is open to the public.”
A Nassau Night Sky Viewing will be held from 7-11 p.m. on Aug. 26, weather permitting, with tours still available. Another Nassau Open House will be held Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
