Roger Putnam which was under-utilized due to poor viewing conditions and low elevation. Putnam led the negotiations which permanently moved the telescope to Lowell Observatory's Anderson Mesa site (in Arizona). The telescope was operated by Lowell Observatory in partnership with the Ohio State University and Ohio Wesleyan, and purchased by Lowell in 1998. Putnam brought Perkins's telescope to the Arizona observatory as well. The Observatory's existing telescope had cracked in 1964 while staff attempted to update its optical system. The Perkins mirror did not stay at Lowell for long, returning to Perkins' control in 1969. The Lowell Observatory retained the mount, however.
Goldendale Observatory State Park and north dome a diameter of 10 feet (3 m). The observatory served as the National Astronomical League's official headquarters during a solar eclipse which occurred on February 26, 1979, six years after the observatory opened. Approximately 15,000 people came to the town of Goldendale on that date to observe the eclipse. The Observatory and its lands were acquired by the state of Washington in 1980, after being operated by the Goldendale Observatory Corporation since its dedication on October 13, 1973. The park received its new designation as a "state park heritage site" in 2014. In July 2017, all structures