The observatory, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, was originally built for the Royal Academy of Turku.

The observatory is situated atop the Vartiovuori hill, and it is clearly visible from different sides of the city centre.

The university had considered to establish the observatory atop the Vartiovuori hill near the city centre, for which the first plans were made by the architect Charles Bassi.

However, the neoclassical observatory was finally built in 1817–1819 according to the plans made by Carl Ludvig Engel.

[1] The beginning of research at the observatory was delayed for further five years, since the telescope ordered from Germany arrived only in 1824.

[1] In 1836 the Navigation School of Turku (Swedish: Navigationsskolan i Åbo) moved into the Vartiovuori observatory, in which it was housed until 1967.

He drew the round second floor of the observatory full of windows, through which the researchers were supposed to observe the sky.

The original purpose as a functioning observatory can be detected in the southward facing rotunda and the round observation tower on top of the building.

One of the objectives of the renovation was to preserve the historical value of the building: for example, the old heaters (Finnish: kamiinat) were left in their place in every room.