46°
“Going into last week, we were never in better shape.”
Before the Tuesday, Nov. 21 fire at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham (also known as the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, or TSCW), things were looking up.
The center, purchased in 2013 thanks to community funding and the work of those dedicated to honoring Tesla, has slowly been rebuilt and restored in the decade since.
Most recently, TSCW’s Executive Director Marc Alessi said in a press conference the center was on the precipice of its biggest project yet: to completely transform the former laboratory into a global innovation center, an educational facility, and a museum.
The $20 million project was just beginning to break ground at the 16.5-acre lot when the massive fire broke out, ravaging the building.
According to the center, it took more than 100 firefighters to fight the blaze, which was not fully extinguished until the next morning.
“Everyone associated with Tesla Science Center owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the many heroic first responders for their extraordinary courage and determination,” Alessi said.
“We are immensely grateful for the commitment and bravery of our local firefighters.”
While the grief and ashes settle, the TSCW team now looks towards facing a new battle – saving the building and getting the renovation back on track as soon as possible.
In an effort to do so, TSCW launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise emergency funds.
Though the building is still undergoing a more thorough analysis to understand the extent of the damage caused, members say the building is in surprisingly good shape.
“Thankfully, Nikola Tesla’s original building was pretty much fireproof,” said the center’s historical architect Mark Thaler, noting that the brick walls were still standing and the most significant damage was done to the roof (which was original to the building), the chimney, and the cupola.
Nonetheless, what lies beyond the walls is severely damaged, the lab said.
TSCW announced in its IndieGoGo campaign that its most necessary and immediate repairs include replacing compromised steel girders, re-framing walls, and revising architectural and engineering plans to account for the fire damage.
The fire is reminiscent of a fire that struck Tesla’s Manhattan laboratory in 1895, about which he reportedly told “The New York Times:”
“I am in too much grief to talk. What can I say?"
So far, the campaign has raised $42,487 of its $3 million goal and has attracted support not only from science lovers but politicians.
“Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this Tesla laboratory will rise as well,” said Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner during a press conference held following the fire. She pledged to support the lab in raising money to get back on its feet.
“Tesla had stops and starts, and this project has had stops and starts,” she concluded.
“But at the end of the day, Tesla was successful, and so will this organization be successful in rebuilding.”
Wardenclyffe was built in 1901 as a laboratory for Tesla to explore his idea of a global, wireless system for communication and power transfer. Funds ran out in 1903 and the grounds were used for commercial business before sitting vacant for 20 years. Out of Nikola Tesla's labs, Wardenclyffe is the only one left.
Nikola Tesla, born in 1856, was an electrical and mechanical engineer as well an inventor.
He worked under Thomas Edison before inventing an alternating-current electric supply system, which laid the foundation for inventions such as the wireless radio (also created first by Tesla), remote controls, and Wi-Fi.
To donate to the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe's rebuild fund, click here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Suffolk and receive free news updates.
