After two years of behind the scenes preparation, the Tesla Wardenclyffe Project is asking you for your membership to help preserve and restore one of our true national treasures, Nikola Tesla's Long Island laboratory in Shoreham, New York.
A visit to the site today would surprise most Tesla enthusiasts. The century old building is easily recognizable from the familiar photographs which show the tower and building. And, the base of the tower is still clearly discernible with trees and other vegetation growing all around the dirt-filled central shaft.
What concerned us the most as a group was not the possible destruction of the building, but the probability of its use as yet another factory as Agfa Corporation readied for its sale. There had to be a way to secure the property and restore the building for use as a Tesla museum. The idea was in the minds of many people.
Fortunately it was also in the minds of some fine corporate folks at Agfa-Gevaert. We formed our non-profit organization to gather the resources necessary to acquire the building and tower site, restore it closer to its original state, and to create a science theme learning center complete with a substantial Tesla archive.
As ambitious as this project seemed to be at first, a group of very dedicated people has formed and is working together towards this goal. We are a 100% volunteer organization. All membership dollars are used to support our mission — education and the preservation of history.
The time has come for us to broaden our membership base and we can now invite you to join us. Your membership contribution to the Tesla Wardenclyffe Project will allow you to play an active role in the future of Nikola Tesla's legacy. We ask you to lend a hand.
In light of Wardenclyffe's historical significance to the local community as well as to our present-day wireless technology, it should be made accessible to visitation by this and future generations.
Wardenclyffe is currently owned by Agfa-Gevaert. From 1939 to its decommissioning in the summer of 1987 the primary activities at the site, also known as Peerless Photo Products, were related to the production of photographic emulsions used in the manufacture of photographic film. Agfa's management staff are very much aware of Wardenclyffe's historical significance and have been very cooperative in helping us achieve our goals.
Agfa is planning to donate the property for community use in the near future. A Long Island-based group known as The Friends of Science East, and the Tesla Wardenclyffe Project plan to incorporate into a joint operating entity to be called THE TESLA SCIENCE CENTER AT WARDENCLYFFE. We have been given strong assurances from Agfa that we are the principle candidate under consideration to receive the property.
The Friends of Science East, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation
created by members of the Shoreham-Wading River Science Museum Advisory
Committee, whose goal is to establish a regional science museum for eastern Long
Island on the property. Because we share the same goal, we expect that by
joining forces we will be properly positioned to receive the property from Agfa.
Ellen Sherman
Tesla Wardenclyffe Project, Inc.
P. O. Box 8041
Breckenridge, CO 80424-8041