Long Island Community Buys Tesla's Historic Laboratory

John Mitty Tuesday, May 7, 2013

After a six week internet crowdfunding effort, the Tesla Science Center of Wardenclyffe, Long Island announced that they were able to acquire a laboratory once used by Nikola Tesla for $850,000.  With the Long Island community’s help, the Tesla Science Center managed to raise $1.3 million.  Acquiring the laboratory wasn’t just the work of six weeks of crowdsourcing however; the volunteers at the Science Center spent two decades trying to acquire the lab before their crowdfunding project.  They also had help from Matthew Inman, a Seattle cartoonist who promoted their effort on his website. 

The fundraising site which the Tesla Science Center used was Indigogo.com.  According to the website’s operators, the successful $1.3 million campaign was the fastest in the history of the website.  What will the Science Center do with the lab now that they have it?  The plans are to restore it and convert it into a museum which will be open to the public on Long Island.  Nikola Tesla was a pioneer of electricity who struggled against his main competitor, Thomas Edison. Edison of course won the fame and the glory, but Tesla’s contributions were equally significant.  Thanks to the efforts of the community, Long Island now owns an important and exciting piece of U.S. history. 

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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