Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Edison Memorial Tower
Historic Site Management Grant
Grant Award: $50,000 (2004); $18,000 (2009); $28,688 (2019) Grant Recipient: Municipality of Edison County: MiddlesexMunicipality: Edison
The Edison Memorial Tower has national significance. It marks the site where Edison's Menlo Park Industrial complex was located from 1876 to 1884, and where the first practical incandescent light bulb was created, along with other inventions. This is the birthplace of recorded sound and the launching for the world's first "organized research" laboratory. The Edison Tower (1937) is considered the State's best representative of a public monument in the Art Deco Style and the last work of architectural concrete pioneer John J. Early.
A 2019 Trust grant helped fund an Accessibility Plan and interpretive video for increased accessibility for the tower.
The 2009 Trust grant helped fund the preparation of a strategic plan and a capital campaign to assist with the multi-million dollar restoration that will enable the tower to reopen to the public. The 2004 grant helped fund a master plan that included an archaeological study, preservation plan and restoration alternatives for the tower and site.
For more information, visit: http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/