The Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum, also known as the Menlo Park Museum, is a memorial to inventor and businessman Thomas Edison, located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, New Jersey. The tower and museum were built on the site of Edison's Menlo Park laboratory, and dedicated on February 11, 1938, on what would have been the inventor's 91st birthday.
The 134-foot tall tower marks the location of Edison's Menlo Park laboratory. Edison and his staff relocated to West Orange, NJ in 1884 (to what is now the Edison National Historic Site), after which the original buildings began to deteriorate. By 1925 most of the buildings had either collapsed or burned, and the only two remaining buildings were moved to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.
The tower's pinnacle is meant to represent an incandescent light bulb[1] and originally included an audio system that according to a 2004 Weird NJ magazine could be heard from a distance of two miles.
The museum showcases many of Thomas Edison's creations including the phonograph and some of his light bulbs, as well as memorabilia relating to Edison and his inventions. The museum also showcases several images taken of Edison's property and inventions.
The remainder of Edison's 36-acre estate is now the Edison State Park.
In 2006, volunteers with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers began raising money to restore the tower and build a new museum. The restoration effort received a large boost when the state recently appropriated $1.8 million to the project. Renovations began in 2007 but the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, which oversees the project, is still soliciting donations.
On April 3, 2008, plans for major improvements for the museum were unveiled.[2]
References
- ^ History of the tower, Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ Museum improvements stress interactivity, community, Edison/Metuchen Sentinel
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, Sept. 13, 2006.
- Edison Tower renovations begin; fundraising continues, Edison Metuchen Sentinel, Jun. 20, 2007.
Coordinates: 40°33′47″N 74°20′20″W / 40.56316°N 74.33899°W
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