Renovations to the tower and museum at the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park are moving forward.
Len Sendelsky, board chairman of the nonprofit Edison Memorial Tower Corp. (EMTC), discussed the project with the Township Council during its Jan. 23 meeting and expressed gratitude to local officials and the public for their support of the center, which remains closed due to the renovations. “Over 10,000 people, including many schoolchildren, come each year to learn about the history of the site that gave us our town name and the logo that stands behind you on the wall,” Sendelsky told the council.
By working together with the township, Sendelsky said the EMTC believes it can continue to restore the site, located on Christie Street, and develop it into a facility of which the entire community can be proud.
Museum renovations — including efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), update lighting and air conditioning systems, replace the museum roof and improve the museum’s parking lot — have been successfully completed, he said. “We are about to install a new security system in the building to protect our artifacts that are currently in storage,” he said. “We are in the process of developing, for the first time, professionally designed exhibits to tell the Menlo Park story in a comprehensive way. And in addition, all the phonographs incorporated into the exhibits are currently being professionally tuned up.”
Sendelsky said the EMTC is planning a grand reopening of the museum this spring, at a date to be announced. The EMTC is continuing to reach out to the community, having coordinated Eagle Scout projects with a couple of local Boy Scouts. Their projects involved improving the landscaping and creating a sitting area on the Thomas Edison Center grounds with the assistance of Middlesex County, which donated two park benches.
“We are sending out newsletters and electronic news,” Sendelsky said. “We are posting news on our website. We have coordinated with the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Raritan Center to help utilize Thomas Edison as a theme in their hotels as a destination of place. They are selling some of our gift shop items and encouraging people to visit our site.”
Meanwhile, the restoration of the Edison Memorial Tower is moving along. The tower has been closed to the public for several years because of crumbling concrete that made the structure hazardous. In April, a $2.4 million contract was awarded to Astral Construction Services of Bergenfield to repair the art deco monument, which dates to 1937.
Sendelsky said state representatives conducted tests on the concrete in December, and their findings will be used in collecting a new round of bids for restoration work in February.
Edison council President Robert Karabinchak said the work the EMTC has done over the past several years has been remarkable.
“It is important that we get the word out there for people to see the Thomas Edison Tower,” Karabinchak said. “It will put Edison on the map for a little tourism and help area businesses. I hope that businesses provide the same involvement, telling customers that this is a place where people can go to in Edison.”
Formore details about the Thomas Edison Center, visit www.menloparkmuseum.org.