[3] It was here that he made astrophotography history, taking some of the earliest photographs of the Moon to include identifiable features through a telescope in 1863.

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975,[2][4] on the mistaken belief the building was a residence of Henry Draper's father, John William Draper (1811-1882).

The elder Draper was in his time a noted scientist, active in a variety of disciplines, who was best remembered for improvements he made to the daguerrotype process of photography.

He was influential in his lifetime, and was one of the last generation of general natural scientists before specialization within fields became common.

The building was reconfigured in 1912 by Dixon for use as her residence, and it remained her home until her death in 1923.