Tesla Science Center in Shoreham awarded $200K grant for new education center
The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham has been awarded a $200,000 state grant to help build a new education center, the latest step in its ongoing recovery and expansion efforts.
The funding, announced Tuesday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, comes through the agency’s Community Impact Grant program and will support a project focused on STEM learning, sustainability and interactive exhibits.
The award marks another milestone for the nonprofit as it continues rebuilding after a Nov. 15, 2023 fire that tore through the historic laboratory, destroying the roof, chimney and domed cupola and causing more than $3 million in damage. The main laboratory building remains closed, with no timeline for repairs.
“For two decades, DEC’s Environmental Justice grant programs have delivered real outcomes in support of a healthier, more sustainable future for people all across New York,” said Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “We look forward to many more years of providing necessary resources to grantees and their partners to improve environmental outcomes across the state.”
In the meantime, the center is moving ahead with a separate project on the property. Renovations began in September 2025 on a 2,200-square-foot building that will serve as the Eugene Sayan Visitor Center — or what director Kara Cannon describes as a “preview center” for the larger campus.
The space is expected to open this summer, timed to coincide with the center’s annual Nikola Tesla Expo on July 11.
“I am excited that this 2,200-square-foot space will include a meeting space to host on-site programming along with some cool interactive exhibits,” said Ms. Cannon. “The exhibits are a fun way to learn about Tesla’s significant inventions and a reminder of their important impact on today’s society.”
She said the term “visitor center” may be a misnomer, as the building will initially serve as the entire center. She has instead referred to it as a “preview center.”
Longer term, the Tesla Science Center is pursuing a $24 million plan to restore the historic laboratory and fully develop the site into a science education campus. The nonprofit had raised $14 million toward that goal before receiving a $500,000 state grant in December.
The site preserves Nikola Tesla’s last remaining laboratory, where the Serbian American inventor conducted pioneering work in wireless power transmission in the early 1900s. In Shoreham, he built a 187-foot tower as part of an early wireless communication experiment before investors withdrew support and the tower was demolished in 1917.
The 16-acre property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. In addition to science programming, the center plans to expand STEAM offerings — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice has awarded more than $25 million for 289 projects since 2006. This latest round includes $6 million for 32 projects statewide, including the Tesla Science Center.
