77 years after it was first opened, the Edison Memorial Tower will reopen.
EDISON -- After a three-year, multimillion dollar restoration project, the Edison Memorial Tower will be rededicated at an all-day public event Saturday, 77 years after it first opened.
"People from all over the world come here to see and learn about Thomas Edison," said Kathleen Carlucci, the executive director of the Edison museum on Christie Street.
Thomas Alva Edison -- famed Wizard of Menlo Park -- did much of his work at the site just off what is now Route 27, including his improvements on the incandescent lightbulb. On the grounds where he worked in the late 1800s, a museum now sits, packed full of Edison exhibits.
The free event will last from noon to 7 p.m., and refreshments will be served. The museum will also kick off a fund drive to expand the building itself, which consists now of two main rooms -- small, but packed with exhibits.
"We want to make this more of a community center," Carlucci said.
Activities will include a "Mr. Edison" in the flesh and demonstrations of audio recordings from a wax cylinder, one of Edison's many inventions. A ribbon-cutting will be held at 12:30 p.m.
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The tower itself has undergone a vast transformation in the three years since the project began. For example, the decorative light bulb on top of the tower was once filled with many incandescent light bulbs, a direct lineage to Edison. But now they'll be replaced with LED lighting. At about 7 p.m., the lights will be turned on once again by Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey.
It's been 20 years since the tower had an audio component, but the restoration project included outfitting the structure with MP3 technology.
The project was funded with $3.9 million, a combination of state and private grants.
Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
