The lens for the telescope was manufactured by Alvan Clark & Sons in 1883 and was originally part of McKim's personal observatory located near his home in Madison.

First, in 2015, the telescope underwent a $425,000 upgrade by Astronomical Consultants and Equipment to greatly improve its optics, operation, and research ability.

A new Digitarium Kappa projector was installed with more than 4 million pixels onto the dome of the planetarium which gives visitors a fully immersive 3D experience in addition to nicely rendering the night sky.

Further upgrades include the installation of interactive touch screens in the lobby that allow visitors to explorer the solar system and other information concerning the observatory and space science.

The observatory is now better than ever and the combination of these upgrades provides students, faculty, and visitors with a unique astronomical learning experience that is hard to find elsewhere.

The lobby has a terrazzo floor with inset zodiac symbols, a star burst chandelier, and tall frosted windows.