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Two further additions were constructed in 1917-1918 as part of a Naval Medical School and Hospital expansion.

A sheet metal cornice surmounts the masonry walls. An entrance in centered on the north elevation it is characterized by a semi-octagonal projecting vestibule with a parapet wall. Brick pilasters, similar to those on the Observatory, flank the sides of the addition.

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The windows are 2/2 singe hung wood units. It is a brick structure characterized by large arched window openings reflecting the double-height of the space within. The new structure was built on the old foundation. An addition was constructed to the west of the Observatory in 1896, undergoing a major renovation in 1895 when the transit house was taken down.

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A free standing corbelled brick chimney lies to the northeast of the rotunda. The metal roof to the Rotunda is conical and capped with a glazed cupola. 1896 the existing structure is a brick drum set on a stone foundation. The T-shaped extension was raised to a two-story adjoining elevation bridges the gap between the rotunda and the T-section. The addition was built in two phases and includes a T-shaped section and a rotunda. Extending to the south from the 1844 Observatory is the 1873 south wing extension. Ghosts in the brockwork on the south elevation indicate that there were porches on the east and west sides of the south elevation with access to the southeast and southwest rooms by doors, which were later converted to windows. A year later, in 1848, the east wing of the observatory was extended by two bays to connect the Residence to the Observatory.

For the first year of its existence the house stood as a detached structure. As with the main block of the Observatory, are ways lie at the base of the north and south facades of the residence. Pintels from original louvered blinds are still extant on the exterior. The windows are typically 6/6 single hung units set within simple enframments with sandstone lintels and sills. The door is wood and glass surmounted by a glazed transom and flanked by sidelights. The main entry is centered on the facade and is served by a red sandstone stoop with a short flight of steps and finished with a decorative iron railing. The center bay of the north facade is flanked by and the corners terminated by, brick pilasters similar to those on the Observatory. A two-story back building abuts the south facade. It is a two-story structure raised above a basement and is three window bays wide. The brick Superintendent's Residence was built directly to the east of the Observatory in 1847. The exterior of the wings was changed substantially in 1902-1903 when the second story additions were constructed and apertures and entrances were bricked-in. One-story wings originally radiated to the south, east and west from the central core and were extended during the 19th century.

The dome which is centered on the building's main block is 23 feet in diameter and rests on a 7 foot circular wall drum. The masonry openings are distinguished by decorative hoods with acanthus leaf brackets supporting wood lintels. The windows are typically 6/6 single hung wood units. The entry stoop is composed of a short flight of granite steps with iron railings on either side. The entrance is centered on the facade and is fitted with a wood and glass door with glass transom and sidelights. Brick pilasters divide the central bay from the two flanking bays and terminate the ends of the main block. The main block of this section is basically a symmetrical cube five window bays wide by two high the door is the central feature on the north facade. its overall appearance is of a solid classical structure with Greek Revival overtones. The building faces north and is square in plan with radiating wings to the east, west and south.

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The original 1844 section of Building 2 is a two-story plus basement brick structure, ornamented by a wood cornice and surmounted by a observation dome. Later significant additions include the 1847 Superintendent's Residence to the east the 1897 lecture hall (which replaced the 1869 Transit Circle Room) the 1895 south rotunda (built on the foundations of the 1873 Great Equatorial Telescope Rotunda) the second-story additions (1902, 1903) to the original one-story wings and the two 20th century stucco additions to the south. The original 1844 Observatory was a 2-story brick structure with radiating wings to the east, west and to the south. The old United States Naval Observatory has undergone many alterations and additions since its initial 1844 configuration.

Naval observatory