The Astronomical Observatory of St. Volodymyr University was constructed between 1841 and 1845 according to a design by academician and chief university architect Vincenzo Beretti. After his death, supervision of the construction was continued by his son, architect Oleksandr Beretti. The organizer and first director of the observatory (1838–1855) was Vasyl Fedorov (1802–1855).

The observatory is located on a hill in the center of an enclosed courtyard. The brick building consists of a rectangular two-story volume with an enfilade-corridor layout, flanked by two adjoining octagonal towers—a one-story tower to the north and a two-story tower to the west. The architectural design and decorative treatment are executed in the Classical style.