Thomas Edison established his West Orange laboratory in 1887.
After the productive years at Menlo Park, Edison created a much larger research and manufacturing complex in West Orange, New Jersey. The site opened in 1887 and was designed to support many projects at once, including electrical equipment, phonographs, motion pictures, chemicals, and storage batteries.
The West Orange complex included laboratories, machine shops, a library, and other specialized buildings. Its scale reflected Edison’s increasingly industrial approach to invention, in which teams could conduct experiments and manufacture prototypes on the same site.
The year is often confused with 1876, when Edison established his earlier laboratory at Menlo Park. West Orange was also the location of Glenmont, Edison’s home, and the place where he died in 1931.