The observatory was originally built by Worcester R. Warner and Ambrose Swasey, owners of Warner & Swasey Company, which made precision instruments and telescopes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1950s, it became apparent that the light pollution from Cleveland was beginning to make cutting-edge research impossible from the East Cleveland site. A new site was constructed 30 miles to the east . The Taylor Road facility was sold in 1983, was abandoned, and remained neglected until 2005 when it was sold. Currently, the observatory building is abandoned.