Non-profit Dedicated to the Promulgation of the Legacy of Fellow New Yorker Nikola Tesla

Martin McGee, Francis S Lestingi, PhD Paul Swisher, Stephen I Lestingi

CITY NAMES PARK IN HONOR OF NIKOLA TESLA

The City of Buffalo Common Council approved the naming of the parcel of land at Main and North Division Streets as Nikola Tesla Park. It is the first and only park dedicated to Nikola Tesla in the United States. In September of 2020 the non-profit Buffalo Niagara Nikola Tesla Council, Inc donated to the City of Buffalo Art Collection an elegant 7-ft bronze of Dr. Tesla at the site.

On November 15, 1896, through the inventive and engineering genius of fellow New Yorker, Nikola Tesla, the first long distance transmission of alternating current (AC) on the planet was achieved in Buffalo, NY. Ultimately, the entire civilization of the Earth adopted AC transmission that commenced first in Buffalo. Nikola Tesla's dramatic and universal transformation achievement was described in 1896 by the Buffalo Enquirer as the " journey of God's own Lightning to the employ of all mankind." When, in 1897, Tesla spoke at the Ellicott Square Building at a celebration of the AC transmission accomplishment, he stated that Buffalo was "sure to become one of the greatest industrial centers of the globe." It is hoped that the "Welcoming Nikola Tesla Back to Buffalo" Statue and Park will serve as a long over-due homage to our fellow New Yorker for his altruistic and timeless contributions to our civilization, many of which were initiated here in our City.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the Park in June of 2022, the 126th anniversary year of the historic event for Nikola Tesla, Buffalo, and the world.