LIFE AMONGST THE STARS!
– THE HISTORY OF THE DAVID DUNLAP OBSERVATORY

In 1910 Chant found what he thought to be a great location for his observatory, a 10-acre plot of undisturbed land near Bathurst and St. Clair. Unfortunately, just as construction was about to begin, the start of World War I required the city to withdraw funding, forcing Chant to put the project on hold and cancel it outright in 1919. In 1921, Chant’s fortunes began to change after he delivered a public astronomy lecture. One of the people in attendance, a successful lawyer and co-founder of Hollinger Gold Mine, David Dunlap, was so captivated by the class that he expressed interest in Chant’s venture to build an observatory; however, before making any financial commitment, Dunlap died in 1924 at the age of 61. Undaunted, Chant approached his widow, Jessie Dunlap, with the notion of erecting an observatory as a monument to her husband. Together, they settled upon the perfect spot to construct the observatory: a site a short distance east of Yonge Street in what is today Richmond Hill.

Despite its namesake, the David Dunlap Observatory owes most of its existence to the efforts of a different man, Clarence Chant, a lifelong scholar who hadn't always been bitten by the astronomy bug. While attending the University of Toronto, he studied mathematics and physics, eventually joining the university as a lecturer in 1982. It wasn't until later, after earning his PhD at Harvard and working for a time in Germany that he joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. While part of this prestigious group, Chant noticed a lack of astronomy classes at U of T that motivated him to expand the department. Although increasing the university's 1905 course calendar did much to bolster the growing faculty, Chant didn't believe his work complete until he could give students a proper telescope.

The official opening was held on May 31, 1935 and was attended by the Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, who praised the Observatory as “a gift to science all over the world.” The primary instrument of the observatory is a 74-inch reflector telescope, which was at the time, the second largest telescope in the world. Just as Chant hoped, the Observatory bolstered the reputation and research potential of the astronomy department at the University of Toronto, and, having finally completed what he sought to do, Chant retired. The Observatory was so famous that it even earned itself a royal visitor! In May 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, paused on their cross-Canada tour to view the observatory, the largest telescope in the commonwealth. Today, the observatory remains in use both as a research facility, as well as a beacon of Canadian academic advancement. When you’re only a short walk away from a Canadian landmark that boasts such a powerful legacy, there’s no doubt you’ll find it the perfect backdrop for making memories that will become engrained in your own family’s story!