Dudley Observatory, founded in the mid-19th century and chartered in 1852, is regarded as the oldest non-academic astronomical research institution in the United States. Named for Charles E. Dudley and enabled by Blandina Bleeker Dudley’s endowment, it began on Albany’s Goat Hill, where its first building was dedicated in 1856. As urban growth, technology, and funding changed, it moved repeatedly, shifting from a working observatory to research tied to the space race and eventually to astronomy education. Since 2019 it has been based at Siena University in Loudonville, with archives, instruments, and rare books preserving its long scientific legacy.