A gigantic map of all the cool plaques in the world. A project of 99% Invisible.

The Main Gate

The Main Gate From 1887 to 1931 Thomas A. Edison, his laboratory employees, and invited guests entered the laboratory complex through this gate and arch. Guards and a tall picket fence (replaced...

The Main Gate From 1887 to 1931 Thomas A. Edison, his laboratory employees, and invited guests entered the laboratory complex through this gate and arch. Guards and a tall picket fence (replaced by this chain-link fence in 1917) prevented sightseers and competitors from wandering the grounds. The wooden gatehouse to your left was added in 1890, three years after Edison built his red-brick laboratory buildings. Behind the gatehouse, Building 1 served as the physics laboratory until 1892 when vibrations from streetcars on Main Street upset the delicate instruments. Ahead, Building 5 housed a stockroom, machine shops, and Edison's personal library-office. Submitted by @lampbane

Nearby Plaques On Google Maps