Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Lockport in Niagara County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Electric Building

 
 
Electric Building Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 2, 2014
1. Electric Building Marker
Captions: Hydraulic raceway behind Electric Building, circa 1907 (top, left); Canal Discharge Conduit at foot of locks, October 1911 (bottom, center).
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’s 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’s 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
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
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.
 
Erected by New York State Canals. (Marker Number 6.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Erie Canal series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1826.
 
Location. 43° 10.249′ N, 78° 41.516′ W. Marker is in Lockport, New York, in Niagara County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Pine Street and Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lockport NY 14094, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Old City Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Lockport City Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Bulkhead (within shouting distance of this marker); Lock Construction (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Locks West (about 300 feet away); The Great American Canal (about
Electric Building Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 2, 2014
2. Electric Building Marker
300 feet away); Life on the Barges (about 300 feet away); Oak Wood Lock Flooring (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lockport.
 
More about this marker. This marker is found on the patio behind the Old City Hall.
 
What remains of the Electric Building can be seen behind the brick building in the foreground image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 2, 2014
3. What remains of the Electric Building can be seen behind the brick building in the foreground
Canal Discharge Conduit image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Lee Williams, circa January 2023
4. Canal Discharge Conduit
Resembling a railroad train, this is the discharge conduit (pipe) for the Hydraulic Race in Lockport NY, below Lock 34 on the Erie Canal.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 527 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on September 8, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.   4. submitted on January 15, 2023, by Lee Williams of Lockport, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=76996

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024