This Site in North Tonawanda was in the Right Place at the Right Time

This Site in North Tonawanda was in the Right Place at the Right Time. . , The first time that electrical power was ever transmitted, from Niagara Falls to Buffalo on November 15, 1896, this site in North Tonawanda was in the right place at the right time., Electrification of the rest of the world would follow., Built in 1895 it would become known as Niagara Falls Power Transfer Station and later as the North Tonawanda Transformer Building. The facility, no matter what name it goes by, holds a significant place in history and is a link to the earliest, pioneering electrical engineering technology., Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse spent time here and together, built the first hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls. Tesla's alternating current model included motors, generators and transformers that were housed here. At the time General Electric Co. was tasked with connecting more than 20 miles of transmission lines from Niagara Falls to Buffalo. What followed was an expansion of streetlights and industrial development across the region and the world., The first power transmission was supplied by Niagara Falls Power Co., which in 1918 merged with Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Co. and eventually would be named Niagara Mohawk. In 2002, Niagara Mohawk was acquired by National Grid, which today remains committed to the City of North Tonawanda and so many communities across New York State. And although it's been more than a century since its original construction this modernized facility continues to play an important role, just as it did in 1896, to deliver clean, reliable electricity to customers., (Photo Captions):, Nikola Tesla; George Westinghouse; Buffalo General Electric Company, 1922; Tesla studying electricity in the laboratory; and Electric Tower, view from Esplanade