NIAGARA FALLS, NY - As Dan Davis, Joan Johnson and Lewis Buttery sit in the cafe at the Niagara Arts Culture Center, they discuss Niagara Falls history, and how it could mean big things for the future of the Cataract City. As members of the group Tesla at Niagara, they envision the famous inventor's creation energizing tourists of the future.
The group is trying to establish a museum dedicated to the work of Nikola Tesla and the Niagara Falls Power Company. In the late 1890's Tesla and George Westinghouse used the inventor's polyphase alternating current to build the first major hydro power station in the world. Tesla's AC power made it possible to transmit power over long distances and made power companies economically viable.
The transformer house of the original Edward Dean Adams Power Plant still stands on Buffalo Avenue. They were hoping to use that facility as the museum, however they have not been able reach an agreement with the building's owner.
And the interest in celebrating Tesla is not only in the Falls. A separate group is in the process of organizing a Buffalo Niagara Tesla Festival that will take place in Buffalo in 2017. While details are still being finalized, that group already has a website and a Facebook page set up.