It was only a month ago that we celebrated Nikola Tesla's birthday and already he's popping back into our news feeds. The famous webcomic The Oatmeal announced yesterday the launch of an IndieGoGo campaign to finance the purchase of Tesla's lab, the Wardenclyffe, with the goal of turning it into a Tesla museum.
The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSC), originally named Friends of Science East, has been in business since 1996 as a non-profit organization trying to share Tesla's legacy with the world. Comprised of eight board members who share this common passion for Tesla and his work, TSC is the entity which would be receiving the funds from the IndieGoGo campaign. Matthew Inman, creator of The Oatmeal, is contributing his Internet mogul wisdom and strong fan base to help launch the campaign's popularity.
And the popularity – Inman has brought plenty. On its first day yesterday, the IndieGoGo campaign Let's Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum collected about $250,000, 30 percent of its lofty $850,000 goal. That $850K, matched by the state of New York, will go entirely towards purchasing the $1.6 million property. After that, it will take a few more million to make the museum a reality. That may look like impossibly large numbers to most of us, but keep in mind that's a normal, if not low, figure in the museum world. For example, the relatively new California Academy of Sciences cost around $500 million. Think about it this way: The Tesla museum is only one generous multi-millionaire away from success, should the TSC be able to save the Wardenclyffe from being torn down and replaced by the next cookie-cutter strip mall.
I talked with Jane Alcorn, president of TSC, and Matthew Inman himself about the new campaign and the dreams they have for this museum. Here's what they had to say:
Interview with Matthew Inman
GeekMom: How did you come to get involved with this project?
Inman: I got involved in this project after some of my readers began letting me know that a non-profit was trying to buy Wardenclyffe but having trouble. I figured I'd had success with my previous fundraiser (BearLove Good. Cancer Bad), and I've got a huge following of readers who love Tesla, so I was well-situated to give this campaign a swift kick in the butt.
GM: What is your role in this project?
Inman: My role is basically just promoting the fundraiser and educating people about why Tesla was awesome. I crafted a blog post that boils down what we need and why we need it, and then I encouraged people to go donate. I'm like the Tesla evangelist, sorta. Teslavangelist?
GM: Why do you care?
Inman: Tesla is a hero of mine, and very rarely does an opportunity present itself where you can make a difference to your hero's legacy nearly a century after his time. It'd be like starting a crowdfunding campaign to keep Abraham Lincoln's original home from getting bulldozed and turned into a Krispy Kreme. I'd be all over Operation Make-Lincoln-Not-Doughnuts.
GM: The campaign's goal, $850 K, is only enough to buy the property. Jane estimated it would probably take another $10 M or more to restore the property and create the museum. Do you think this is possible?
Inman: We're on our way to getting enough money to buy the property, but getting the remaining funds is going to be a bit tougher. I received an email from Elon Musk who pledged to donate to help save the property, but I don't know how much yet. I'm hoping he or someone else like GE or Larry Page might step in and help us raise a ton more to build the actual museum.
GM: Do you have any plans on how to make that happen?
Inman: I'll just keep badgering the hell out of these people on the internet and hope they notice. I've been bugging Larry Page on Google+ and tweeting at GE and some other folks. Hopefully this whole thing raises enough publicity that someone will step in and help. It'd be great PR for them.
GM: What would be your dream exhibit for the Tesla museum?
Inman: If we could find an engineer who could create an exhibit which produces ball lightning. It's incredibly difficult to produce in a laboratory but I've always wanted to see it.
Interview with Jane Alcorn
GeekMom: Your organization started in 1996 under the name "Friends of Science East." What are some of the things you've been able to accomplish since 1996?
Alcorn: Since 1996 we’ve been trying to share with everyone the importance of protecting Tesla’s last remaining laboratory anywhere in the world. Everywhere else he worked is no longer in existence. And Wardenclyffe was to be the site of his greatest achievement. We have been meeting with people at all levels of government, and now there isn’t a politician representing this area who doesn’t support our effort. We have shared our vision with the community, too, and we’ve had an overwhelming positive response to our plans for the property.
Besides that very important work, we have held two successful conferences, one in 2006 and one this past November.
We have developed good relationships and alliances with some of the foremost Tesla researchers, biographers, and other Tesla fans throughout the country and world, including Tesla’s last and closest remaining relative: his grand-nephew, the grandson of his sister Angelina. This gentleman is probably the only living person left to have met Tesla.
We’ve also held other events and programs over the years. We have been steadfast in this goal.
GM: After so many years, why is the money-raising campaign to buy the Wardenclyffe happening now?
Alcorn: The property has been undergoing a cleanup as a Super Fund site. This process took over 15 years, and this spring was just cleared for sale. Now the property can be bought by anyone, and that accounts for the urgency. We don’t want it to be bought by someone who doesn’t recognize this “best and highest use.”
GM: Who is behind the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe?
Alcorn: The Board of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is comprised of eight people. We have several physicists, a few educators, a land-use expert, a commercial real estate broker, a geographer, and me, a librarian. We have been working at this for over a decade without any compensation – just a strong commitment to seeing something positive grow out of this site that will provide a fitting legacy for a special genius inventor and scientist, a place of learning and inspiration for young people, and a place that will be a positive place for community pride, instead of an unused and deteriorating industrial site. We have not been using any of the money we’ve raised over the years for offices or phones, etc., doing it all from our homes to save as much as we can towards the preservation of this historic site.
GM: You've also partnered with Tesla Wardenclyffe Project Inc. Who are they and what's their role in this project?
Alcorn: The Tesla Wardenclyffe Project is an organization that supports our goals, and we have a memorandum of understanding between us that we are responsible for trying to acquire the property, while they have been trying to acquire Tesla memorabilia. They also manage a photographic archive of Tesla’s work.
GM: What's the process you're going through in trying to get the museum built? What are some of the challenges that lay ahead?
Alcorn: First we have to raise the money for acquisition. Next we will have to come to agreement with Agfa on the final price. We hope we can negotiate for a lower price. We’ll have to get expert assessments for such things as structural integrity of the buildings, architectural designs, environmental issues, etc. Some of this will require us to spend more time with structural and environmental engineers going through the spaces to determine what can be adapted for use, and what must be removed.
We have a draft site plan for what we want to do, but it will have to be refined. Also, we have to meet zoning regulations, environmental regulations, and other restrictions in accordance with the town codes. We’ll have to make sure the building and land are secure and protected from vandalism, and that people are protected from any hazards while demolition of unusable buildings takes place. We have to work on plans for the space that incorporates many of the ideas that have been shared with us over the years.
GM: Beyond the $850 K necessary to purchase the Wardenclyffe, what's the amount of funding you will need to make the museum a reality?
Alcorn: While we have no concrete numbers on this, we’ve always believed that it will take millions to make this the showcase it deserves to be. We will try to accomplish this is reasonable, manageable stages, and expect it will take $10 million or more.
GM: What will happen to the Wardenclyffe if you purchase it but don't get enough funding to clean up the property and start the museum?
Alcorn: We prefer to remain positive, and believe that we will be able to reach our goal of creating this museum. Certainly this capital campaign is not the end of the fundraising efforts we will have to make. We are always looking at possible ways to make this happen, and we’ll be looking at grants, corporate sponsorships, and other means to make it happen.
GM: What's your vision for the Tesla Museum?
Alcorn: Where do I start? First, of course, is the Tesla Museum. We want to highlight the many accomplishments and inventions of Nikola Tesla. Beyond that, we want to have an auditorium, classrooms, large meeting spaces for conferences and special events, a “maker” space, a physics playground, a science learning center with interactive exhibits, programs for students, mentorship programs, science competitions, and much, much more.
GM: Why is it important to purchase the Wardenclyffe and why do you want to build a Tesla museum?
Alcorn: This is a special historic site. As I mentioned before, there is no other place left where Tesla worked. As the father of radio, robotics, remote control, alternating current transmission, wireless energy, florescent lights, and many other inventions, Tesla has a right to be celebrated. For too long his contributions to our world have been ignored. The time is right for his achievements to be recognized.
This laboratory was designed by the famed architect Stanford White, so it has not just historic, scientific importance, but architectural importance, too.
GM: How do you feel about the early success of the campaign?
Alcorn: We’re excited and encouraged by the early success of the campaign. We hope that people throughout the country and over the globe will join us in contributing to this important memorial to Tesla and in creating an exciting new science learning center.
Thank you, Jane and Matthew. I wish you the best of luck with the current campaign and building the museum itself. Not only is Tesla's legacy one worth celebrating, but preserving an historical property like the Wardenclyffe is an order of magnitude more meaningful that having another Old Navy. I've contributed, have you?
