December 13, 2023

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To all our TSCW Friends and Supporters,

Over the past three weeks, we’ve experienced a whirlwind of events that have significantly shaped the story of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. Following our most successful Gala to date, an unforeseen fire occurred at the Wardenclyffe Laboratory. The remarkable response from the local, national, and international communities underscores our collective dedication to developing this site and preserving the legacy of Nikola Tesla. Your steadfast commitment forms an indispensable part of this ongoing narrative, and we are eager to ensure you stay informed about our priorities and progress at every juncture.

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PRIORITIES

Stabilization

Since the serious fire on November 21st, we have been working tirelessly with local authorities, insurance, and engineers to stay on top of all investigation reports. The official report on the fire’s cause is pending. However, arson has been excluded as a cause. While there is an insurance policy for the site, the Wardenclyffe Laboratory is an empty building without a certificate of occupancy so coverage under the policy is still being determined. The insurance claim process is currently ongoing, and as you can imagine often takes time to finalize and complete. Time we unfortunately do not have to wait. It is crucial that we begin the stabilization process and focus on the emergency bracing of the Laboratory roof, chimney, and cupola, which were very severely damaged in the fire. As we are headed into the colder, freezing weather, additional moisture within the building could lead to further damage inside the walls and the laboratory may be severely impacted. Our main objective right now is to raise the funds that are needed as soon as we can to help mitigate the damage while we wait for the insurance.

Mission: Rebuild

On November 27^th, on the eve of Giving Tuesday, we launched our TSCW Mission: Rebuild Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with the hopes of raising $3mil that is needed as soon as possible to help mitigate the damage and begin the stabilization project to preserve the Wardenclyffe laboratory. This same Indiegogo platform which previously hosted our 2012 campaign, initiated the journey toward realizing the dream of transforming the property into a museum. The community has yet again shown that this project is a global effort and we have already raised $54K as of today. It is an incredible milestone, but we are not there yet.

Support of Mission: Rebuild includes a variety of unique perks from $3 to $50K.

- - For a $1,000 donation, you can secure a small intimate Executive Director dinner at Delmonico Steak House NYC, Nikola Tesla’s favorite Restaurant.
  - For $2,500, supporters can secure a 1-year annual membership and a spot in the Executive Director’s Book Club, that will read a Tesla related book every quarter and meet monthly to discuss insights into each chapter/story.
  - $5,000 will get you an invitation to a private dinner at Nikola Tesla’s former Shoreham residence.
  - A $50,000 donation includes the perk of a Lifetime Membership and 2-year appointment to Tesla Science Center Advisory Council!

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Please help us continue to raise awareness and share the campaign!

We value your input and want to make sure we are offering perks that truly resonate with our supporters. If you have a unique idea for a perk that would make your support of Tesla Science Center even more unforgettable, we welcome you to share a suggestion.

Visit our Facebook page to share your ideas.

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DONATE NOW!

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PROGRESS

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2023 Gala

We held our 5th annual Gala on November 16. While it was our 5th celebration, it was only the 2nd time we have been in person because of the challenges of COVID. The event was a remarkable success, selling out all 220 seats and honoring top Long Island innovators for their contributions. Our Tesla Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dr. Yacov Shamash, SBU; the new Tesla Innovator of the Year was given to Professor Chad Bouton, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research/Northwell Health; and the Tesla Rising Star Award was given to Sammy Chu, Edgewise Energy. We also hosted a distinguished list of dinner committee members who helped us plan and reach our fundraising goals and the group was co-chaired by Bob Catell, SBU and (outgoing) County Executive Steve Bellone. We were also fortunate to have the Serbian Ambassador of Cultural Affairs Dr. Ljiljana Niksic and the new Counsel General for the Republic of Serbia Dr. Vladimir Bozovic join us for the evening in celebration.

Visitor Center

Prior to our November 21 fire, TSCW was making great strides on our plans to proceed with the first phase of development, the Eugene Sayan Visitor Center. The Visitor Center will serve as a place to introduce visitors to Wardenclyffe, Nikola Tesla’s work there, and the importance of the site as Tesla’s only remaining laboratory. The Visitor Center will be developed in the historic Bauer House and is the first phase of the master plan development that will include the historic lab, the science center and the business accelerator.

The vision of the Visitor Center space is to host interactive hands-on exhibits, virtual and physical educational programs, demonstrations, classes, and workshops on site. While the fire damage is a significant setback, we hope to proceed with the Visitor Center and keep to our anticipated opening in 2024 while simultaneously stabilizing the damaged red brick laboratory. Please stay tuned for updates.

Visit our website to read more about the the future plans for Tesla Science Center, with it’s 3 key areas of impact on humanity and artist renderings of the future campus.