Tesla science center to begin visitor center construction - Newsday
More than a year after a fire laid near ruin to Nikola Tesla’ssolesurviving laboratory, the effort to develop the Shoreham site into a museum honoring the late electricity trailblazer is getting a fresh jolt.
Construction on the Eugene Sayan Visitor Center at the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is set to begin the first week of June — a critical step in a decadeslong effort to honor the inventor while creating a "world-class destination for science, innovation, and education," according to a statement and museum officials. The visitor center is expected to open to the public early next year.
"The Visitor Center represents the next chapter for Tesla Science Center and for the legacy of Nikola Tesla," Marc Alessi, the center’s executive director, said in the news release. "It’s where we’ll be able to welcome the public, share Nikola Tesla’s story in new ways, and create dynamic programming that inspires future generations."
Tesla is remembered for his innovative work in such areas as alternating current power systems, wireless transmission and X-ray, in which he took an early image and used X-ray tubes to direct energy, museum officials said.
Built between 1901 and 1905, the Wardenclyffe site was part of Tesla's vision for a "wireless system for communication and power transfer," the museum said on its website. The site included the lab and a 187-foot incomplete tower, the museum said. However, the tower was later demolished in 1917 as Tesla's funds ran low.
Petar Djuric, a Stony Brook University electrical and computer engineering professor, previously told Newsday that Tesla’s work "certainly has impacted the lives of ordinary people much more than the theory of relativity" from Albert Einstein.
The visitor center, which is expected to be about 2,200 square feet, will be housed in the 1920s-era Bauer House already on the site.
The cost to construct and install exhibits at the visitor center is expected to be $1.1 million, museum officials said. The museum received $1.1 million from Suffolk County’s JumpSMART program and $500,000 from Empire State Development, the state's main business support agency, which will help fund the laboratory’s reconstruction.
The visitor center will feature a wall highlighting hundreds of Tesla’s inventions, an area where visitors can touch Tesla coils and virtual reality exhibitions.
Alessi said many people were just starting to learn about Tesla, and the museum wanted to make sure he got the kind of acknowledgment he deserved.
"He was almost forgotten," Alessi said in a phone interview. "This project, you know, is an important cornerstone of preserving his legacy."
But in November 2023, Tesla's lab burst into flames while under renovation, Newsday has reported. The blaze left behind a trail of damage, including to the lab's roof and chimney.
"Time is of the essence with the lab building, because ... after the fire, you know, we lost a good part of the roof, and the lab is exposed to the elements right now," Alessi said.
After the fire, an insurance investigation slowed progress for about six months, he said. The museum is now looking for a new contractor and hopes to start construction on the lab building this summer, he said.
The museum hopes to have the lab fully restored and open to the public by the middle of 2028, Alessi said. In the future, the museum also hopes to transform a 10,000-square-foot old water treatment plant on the site into another exhibition space.
Despite the setbacks, Alessi said the organization remained determined to develop the space. When work is finished, the museum is expected to have 180,000 visitors a year, Alessi said, citing market research.
In July, the Wardenclyffe site will play host to a Tesla expo, where visitors can take part in a drone show and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics related events.
"We're going to make sure that ... people get to, you know, walk into Tesla's historic lab and learn about his legacy well into the future," Alessi said.
Newsday's Carl MacGowan and Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.
More than a year after a fire laid near ruin to Nikola Tesla’s sole surviving laboratory, the effort to develop the Shoreham site into a museum honoring the late electricity trailblazer is getting a fresh jolt.
Construction on the Eugene Sayan Visitor Center at the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is set to begin the first week of June — a critical step in a decadeslong effort to honor the inventor while creating a "world-class destination for science, innovation, and education," according to a statement and museum officials. The visitor center is expected to open to the public early next year.
"The Visitor Center represents the next chapter for Tesla Science Center and for the legacy of Nikola Tesla," Marc Alessi, the center’s executive director, said in the news release. "It’s where we’ll be able to welcome the public, share Nikola Tesla’s story in new ways, and create dynamic programming that inspires future generations."
Tesla is remembered for his innovative work in such areas as alternating current power systems, wireless transmission and X-ray, in which he took an early image and used X-ray tubes to direct energy, museum officials said.
Built between 1901 and 1905, the Wardenclyffe site was part of Tesla's vision for a "wireless system for communication and power transfer," the museum said on its website. The site included the lab and a 187-foot incomplete tower, the museum said. However, the tower was later demolished in 1917 as Tesla's funds ran low.
Petar Djuric, a Stony Brook University electrical and computer engineering professor, previously told Newsday that Tesla’s work "certainly has impacted the lives of ordinary people much more than the theory of relativity" from Albert Einstein.
The visitor center, which is expected to be about 2,200 square feet, will be housed in the 1920s-era Bauer House already on the site.
The cost to construct and install exhibits at the visitor center is expected to be $1.1 million, museum officials said. The museum received $1.1 million from Suffolk County’s JumpSMART program and $500,000 from Empire State Development, the state's main business support agency, which will help fund the laboratory’s reconstruction.
The visitor center will feature a wall highlighting hundreds of Tesla’s inventions, an area where visitors can touch Tesla coils and virtual reality exhibitions.
Alessi said many people were just starting to learn about Tesla, and the museum wanted to make sure he got the kind of acknowledgment he deserved.
"He was almost forgotten," Alessi said in a phone interview. "This project, you know, is an important cornerstone of preserving his legacy."
But in November 2023, Tesla's lab burst into flames while under renovation, Newsday has reported. The blaze left behind a trail of damage, including to the lab's roof and chimney.
"Time is of the essence with the lab building, because ... after the fire, you know, we lost a good part of the roof, and the lab is exposed to the elements right now," Alessi said.
After the fire, an insurance investigation slowed progress for about six months, he said. The museum is now looking for a new contractor and hopes to start construction on the lab building this summer, he said.
The museum hopes to have the lab fully restored and open to the public by the middle of 2028, Alessi said. In the future, the museum also hopes to transform a 10,000-square-foot old water treatment plant on the site into another exhibition space.
Despite the setbacks, Alessi said the organization remained determined to develop the space. When work is finished, the museum is expected to have 180,000 visitors a year, Alessi said, citing market research.
In July, the Wardenclyffe site will play host to a Tesla expo, where visitors can take part in a drone show and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics related events.
"We're going to make sure that ... people get to, you know, walk into Tesla's historic lab and learn about his legacy well into the future," Alessi said.
Newsday's Carl MacGowan and Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.
