Historic Preservation

Laboratory of Thomas Alva Edison,
West Orange, New Jersey

The current major project of the Fund is to restore and preserve the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, New Jersey, which site contains the world's first corporate research and development laboratory and, regrettably, appears on the National Trust For Historic Preservation list as one of the eleven most endangered historic places in the country. At present, national concern is so great to preserve this original, untouched laboratory known as the "Invention Factory" that the Fund has formed a separate and independent not-for-profit corporation known as the "Edison Preservation Foundation" for the purpose of raising 80 Million Dollars to assure the complete restoration of, and continued capital funding for, this truly unique part of Americana. The ultimate goal of this project is to place this Site as well as the Thomas Alva Edison Papers on the Internet so they will be available to 6 Billion people throughout the world.