The observatory's significance is due to its association with Maria Mitchell, the first widely known female astronomer in the United States.

[3] As the college has built a new observatory on a hill near the edge of campus, the building is no longer used for astronomy.

In 2008 it underwent a large restoration and renovation and now houses the offices of the education department and classrooms.

Mitchell, the first manager of the observatory, focused primarily on observing planets and their satellites.

[citation needed] It was noted in Popular Astronomy in 1904, "In general the work done at Vassar is similar to that done at several of the smaller German and Italian observatories.