What was the name of Thomas Edison’s 1882 power station in New York City?

Thomas Edison’s 1882 power station in New York City was called Pearl Street Station.

Located in lower Manhattan, Pearl Street Station began supplying electricity to customers on September 4, 1882. It used coal-fired steam engines to drive generators and initially served a relatively small area through direct-current distribution. The station is widely regarded as one of the first central power stations in the world.

Edison’s system was designed mainly for incandescent lighting. Direct current was practical over short distances, but voltage drops limited how far power could be distributed from a station. Later alternating-current systems made voltage transformation easier and supported wider transmission networks.

Pearl Street Station was not the first place where electricity was generated, nor did it power an entire city. Its importance was that it demonstrated a commercial, central-station model for supplying multiple customers through an organized distribution network.