The National Park Service is welcoming visitors to the new Thomas Edison National Historical Park. A variety of free special programs and events are going on from October 10 through 12. Festivities take place at the Laboratory Complex on Main Street and the Glenmont Estate in Llewellyn Park; the times are from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm each day with extended hours on Saturday until 8:00 pm.
“This is your opportunity to be among the first visitors to walk through the Main Street gate and explore the new site,” says Greg Marshall, Superintendent at Thomas Edison National Historical Park. “The original music recording studio, Thomas Edison’s private laboratory, and a photography studio will be open to the public; for the first time in the history of the site.”
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First of all, the original furnishings are moving back into many rooms; in addition, the vast and unique museum collections will be available for all to see and hear. There is also a new elevator and stair tower adjacent to the main lab; of course, this allows new public access to the upper floors of the lab that now feature new exhibits.
The $13 million partnership with the Edison Innovation Foundation and Charles Edison Fund of Newark also includes heating and cooling; as well as new fire detection and suppression systems, and structural repairs to the historic building’s roofs, foundations, and windows.
“This project was absolutely necessary to preserve the Edison Legacy and the treasures associated with the life and work of Thomas Edison, the “Man of the Millennium” who changed the world,” says John P. Keegan, Chairman and President of the Edison Innovation Foundation and Charles Edison Fund.
“The new Thomas Edison experience offers visitors from around the world and around the neighborhood the ability to explore the park in many different ways: self-guided audio tours, cell phone tours, films, grounds walks, school workshops and traditional Ranger-guided programs,” Marshall says.
“The renovation of the Edison home at the Glenmont Estate and the Laboratory Complex on Main Street are truly a celebration of the contributions of our important partnerships,” said Marshall. “The opening of a NEW Thomas Edison National Historical Park experience gives all of us a vision for a bright future,” Keegan adds.
More Info
Thomas Edison National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park Service; in fact, this service preserves and interprets the West Orange Laboratory and Home of inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Click here to learn more.
Meanwhile, the Edison Innovation Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the Edison Legacy; they also encourage students to embrace careers in STEM, educating the next generation of great innovators. For info on the Foundation, visit the website.
