The objective of this research is to investigate and analyze the current status of the tower observatory developments based on their background information both in business and architectural aspects. Actual twenty three case-study sites are visited, and data collections are conducted in the preparatory stage. The papers and research materials are scarce on this subject, and preceding studies and specific architectural guidelines are found insufficiently researched. Brief descriptions of the result are following. First, most tower observatories are operated by public finance of local government. Commonly, the profits are generated by subsidiary facilities like exhibition spaces and public relations facilities. Second, the majority of average height is around 40 to 120m, relatively low in height in steel-concrete structure. The internal space layout is generally laid out on two-floor type in circular perimeter shape. From the chronological comparison study, there is a certain shift in the development from the private sector to the public one along with varying shapes and sizes.