Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum

Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
The Edison Memorial Tower in 2011 while being restored
Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Show map of the United States
Location	37 Christie Street, Edison, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°33′47″N74°20′22″W / 40.56306°N 74.33944°W / 40.56306; -74.33944
Area	3.4 acres (1.4 ha)
Built	1938 (1938)
Architect	Massena & DuPont
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	79001505 [1]
NJRHP No.	1836 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 30, 1979
Designated NJRHP	October 9, 1979

The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, also known as the Menlo Park Museum / Edison Memorial Tower, is a memorial to inventor and businessman Thomas Alva Edison, located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The tower was dedicated on February 11, 1938, on what would have been the inventor's 91st birthday.

The tower marks the location of Edison's Menlo Park laboratory, the world's first organized research and development site. He came to Menlo Park in 1876. The area was then known as Raritan Township, and later changed (in 1954) to Edison Township. Menlo Park is known as the Birthplace of Recorded Sound (November 1877), and the site of the world's first practical incandescent lamp-light bulb (October 1879). Edison and his staff would create 400 of his most important inventions here. It was this site that Edison would fondly nickname his 'Invention Factory'. Edison and his staff were working in New York City, building the world's first central distribution site for electricity, when his wife Mary Stilwell Edison died at their Menlo Park home. He would later relocate to West Orange, New Jersey in 1884 to what is now the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. The original Menlo Park buildings began to deteriorate, and by 1926 most of the buildings had either collapsed or burned, and the only two remaining buildings were later moved to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. The Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 30, 1979 as an important architectural and commemorative landmark. ^[3]

The tower's pinnacle is meant to represent an incandescent light bulb ^[4] and originally included an audio system that according to a 2004 Weird NJ magazine could be heard from a distance of two miles. The American concrete pioneer John Joseph Earley was involved in its construction. The Tower, which rises 131 feet above the Terrace, is topped by a 13' 8" foot high Bulb made of Pyrex segments by the Corning Corporation. The tower is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, and is now being restored, a project managed by The State of New Jersey.^{[ citation needed ]}

The museum showcases many of Thomas Edison's creations including the phonograph and many of his light bulbs, as well as memorabilia relating to Edison and his inventions. The museum also showcases many images taken of Edison's property, inventions, and family.^{[ citation needed ]}

The remainder of Edison's 36-acre (15 ha) estate is now the Edison State Park.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park is jointly administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Parks and Forestry, the Township of Edison, and the non-profit Edison Memorial Tower Corporation.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, a 501(c)3, has been instrumental in having the current museum renovated. The renovated museum reopened on June 9, 2012, with old and newly acquired artifacts. The new professional interpretative exhibits were designed by Daniel Schnur.^{[ citation needed ]}

Restoration

The tower underwent restoration from 2011-2015. Concrete samples were taken off the facade and sent to a laboratory where they were tested for their specific makeup. This is so the recreated panels could match the old ones that do not need replacing.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Edison Memorial Tower as depicted in the seal of the Township of Edison

The Centennial Plaque, which was stolen a number of years ago, was also replaced during the restoration. The lower part of the plaque was sent to a Metallurgist in order to match the color.^{[ citation needed ]}

The restoration was completed in October 2015, and a re-dedication ceremony was held on October 24, 2015. The ceremony showed off the newly refurbished tower, media system which played music from the tower's construction until the 50s, grounds, and concluded with the relighting of the large light bulb at the top of the tower. ^[5]

World's second largest light bulb

The sphere atop the tower had been called the "world's largest light bulb", however, in 2021, a larger light bulb, 17’ tall and 10’ in diameter, was installed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the plaza in front of the Cox Business Convention Center. ^{[6] [7]} Another famous sphere, the Union Watersphere, long-known as the "world's tallest water sphere" is located in nearby Union. ^{[8] [9]}

Eagle Scout/Girl Scout Projects

The museum encourages local Boy Scout Eagle Projects and Girl Scout Gold Award projects on its grounds. ^[10] Some of the projects are as follows:

- In 2009, one project added an educational sign directly across Christie Street from the museum. This sign contains information about the Electric Railroad Edison built in that spot. ^[11]

- In 2013, a project added informational sign directly next to the museum. The sign contains information about the museum, the website, and hours of operation. ^[12]

- In 2016, a project added an educational sign diagonally across from the museum site at the intersection of Christie Street and Tower Road. This sign sheds light on the Sarah Jordan Boarding House which once inhabited the site, and was moved in 1929 to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. ^[13] In addition to the sign, the project also added a stone brick outline of the house's foundation. ^[14]

See also

• New Jersey portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Middlesex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 13, 2018. p. 2.
3. Anthony Yelencsics (June 18, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower". National Park Service . Retrieved November 19, 2018. With accompanying two photos from 1979
4. History of the tower, Accessed September 30, 2009.
5. Makin, Bob. "Edison Memorial Tower rededicated". myCentralJersey. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
6. Rawlings, Nate (July 28, 2010). "World's Largest Light Bulb; Edison, NJ". Time . Top 50 American Roadside Attractions. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
7. "World's Largest Light Bulb". www.roadsideamerica.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
8. Rose, Lisa (February 22, 2012), "Despite challenge, Union Township water tower remains a Jersey landmark", The Star-Ledger , retrieved 2012-02-21
9. World's Tallest Watersphere
10. "Eagle Scouts / Gold Award". Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
11. "Thomas Edison and the Electric Railway Historical Sign". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
12. "Three Edison Scouts receive their Eagle rank". myCentralJersey. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
13. "Sarah Jordan Boarding House". The Henry Ford Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
14. Newmann, Anne. "Eagle scout unites Edison community with project". myCentralJersey. Retrieved 2024-09-22.

External links

• Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum
• Article on tower preservation efforts
• Edison Tower to receive $1.8 million for repairs, Edison Metuchen Sentinel, September 13, 2006.
• Edison Tower renovations begin; fundraising continues, Edison Metuchen Sentinel, June 20, 2007.
• Overhead view of Tower, Overhead view of Tower.