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Tesla Memorial Society of New York

Salute to the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham, Long Island

The Tesla Science Center in Shoreham, Long Island is the leading force to perserve Tesla's famous laboratory and Tesla property of 200 acres of land.

Tesla Memorial Society of New York and millions of Tesla admirers around the globe are grateful to Jane Alcorn, President, Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe for her tremendous effort and success in preserving Tesla's Laboratory in Shoreham, Long Island.

Tesla's Laboratory in Shoreham, Long Island, is a holy place for science of America and the world which needs to be preserved.

The following text below was taken from the Tesla Science Center Website (http://www.teslasciencecenter.org/wardenclyffe.html):

Wardenclyffe: Tesla's Only Remaining Laboratory

In 1901, Tesla purchased 200 acres on Long Island's north shore from James Warden. These 200 acres were part of an 1,800 acre potato farm along what is today Route 25A in Shoreham, NY. The site became known as Wardenclyffe, after the former owner. Here, Tesla established what would become his only remaining laboratory building. Previously, after emigrating to the United States in 1884, Tesla had worked on all of his major projects at various laboratory sites. These included Pittsburgh, PA; New York City, NY; Orange, NJ; Colorado Springs, CO; and finally Wardenclyffe, NY. In April, 1901, the Wardenclyffe Post Offce was established in the town; in l906 the town became the Village of Shoreham.

The purpose of the Wardenclyffe laboratory was the establishment of a wireless telegraphy plant. The prestigious architectural firm of McKin, Mead, and White was contracted to design the laboratory and transmitter tower (187 feet high above ground and 120 feet deep below ground level). Stanford White became the architect for the building.

Tesla's plan had the initial backing of the financier J.P. Morgan. The red brick laboratory building can still be seen on the north side of Route 25A between the intersection of Randall Road and the Shoreham Fire Department.

During the last week of July 1903, residents around the Shoreham site experienced what was to be the only testing of Tesla's equipment at this facility. Several days after these tests, his dream was destroyed when creditors from Westinghouse confiscated his heavier equipment for nonpayment for services rendered. In addition, James Warden sued Tesla for nonpayment of back taxes. In 1917, the 187-foot tower was destroyed by dynamite explosion as ordered by the U.S. government. It was demolished the same year by the Smiley Steel Company.

In 1939, the Peerless Photo Company purchased the property to manufacture emulsions for photographic film and paper. Additional buildings were constructed. In 1969, it became Agfa-Gevaert, Inc., at that time a division of the Bayer Corporation. In 1987, manufacturing ended, and the facility was closed down. Since then, the entire facility has remained dormant. It is noteworthy that, in 1967, the laboratory building was the first to be listed on the Town of Brookhaven registry of historic sites.

(Read the full story by G. Genova, "A History of Tesla's Laboratory" in: Newsletter 1 #2.)

For more information see


Above: The Tesla Science Center can be found at: www.teslasciencecenter.com


Above: Letter from Jana Alcorn, President, Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe to Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, President, Tesla Memorial Society of New York. The Tesla Science website can be found at www.teslasciencecenter.com.


Above: Jane Alcorn, President, Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe speaking at the event on May 30, 2009.


Above: Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, President, Tesla Memorial Society of New York speaking at the event. Dr. Vujovic said "Tesla's Laboratory is a holy place for science in America and around the world and should be preserved".

Wardenclyffe

Above: Transmitting Tesla Tower and Laboratory built in 1901-1905 by Stanford White, famous architect and Tesla's friend.  Located in Wardenclyffe, Long Island.  This was to be the first broadcasting system in the world.  Tesla also wanted to transmit electricity from this Tower to the whole globe without wires using the Ionosphere.  The source of the transmitted electricity was to be the Niagara Falls power plant.

Tesla's Laboratory
Above: Tesla's Laboratory in Shoreham, Long Island, designed by Tesla's friend, the famous American architect Stanford White, as it looks today (March 2009). Photo by Jane Alcorn, President of the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham, Long Island.

Tesla Tower Completed

Above: Photograph of a model of Tesla Tower in action, shows how the Tower would have looked if it was completed.

Tesla's Tower

Above: The tragedy of Tesla in Wardenclyffe, the tower was dismantled on July 4, 1917.  It was dynamited and razed by the mortgage holder, the proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.