Electric Building

Electric Building (HM1GJ8)

Location: Lockport, NY 14094 Niagara County
Buy New York State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 43° 10.249', W 78° 41.516'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1619 views
Inscription
Originally built in 1826 for visionary businessman Lyman A. Spalding, the smaller three-story stone building built on this site became the Norman & Evans Iron Foundry. After the building burned in 1840, it was rebuilt several times and enlarged to an impressive seven story "Electric Building" by Charles E. Dickinson, making it one of the tallest buildings in Lockport at the time. A hydraulic race from the Canal passed through the seventh story of this towering old stone building. The Electric Building was one of America most unique industrial structures, with features designed by Birdsill Holly and his friend/fellow inventor Thomas A. Edison, and was a tribute to their ingenuity. The water power derived from the hydraulic raceway on the south side of the canal at the Niagara Escarpment powered all of Lockport street lights (free of charge to the citizens of Lockport at the time). You are now standing on what was the sixth story of the Electric Building.


Note the huge pipe, which in a way resembles a railroad engine, projecting out into the "natural basin" of the canal. This is the canal discharge conduit. As the water level of Lock 34 is lowered, the water escaping from the lock chamber is released through the conduit. On occasion, water shoots like a geyser high into the air from this device.


Sidebar on the right

"Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

Thomas Alva Edison (1853-1934),
best remembered for inventing the incandescent electric light bulb, phonograph, and improvements to the telegraph, telephone and motion pictures, held patents on a record 1,093 inventions. That is the most U.S. patents issued to a single person.
Details
HM NumberHM1GJ8
Series This marker is part of the Erie Canal series
Tags
Marker Number6
Placed ByNew York State Canals
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 19th, 2014 at 12:24am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Photo Credits: [1] SANDY GUZZETTI  
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 687608 N 4782370
Decimal Degrees43.17081667, -78.69193333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 43° 10.249', W 78° 41.516'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds43° 10' 14.94" N, 78° 41' 30.96" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)716, 585
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 55 Main St, Lockport NY 14094, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. What year was the marker erected?
  7. This marker could use another picture or two.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?