Georgetown Steam Plant
Encyclopedia
The Georgetown Steam Plant, now the Georgetown PowerPlant Museum, located in the Georgetown
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
, constructed in 1906 for the Seattle Electric Company, provided power for Seattle, notably for streetcars.
structures on the U.S. West Coast, it originally provided power for the Interurban Railway between Seattle and Tacoma
; it also provided both direct current
for Seattle's streetcars and alternating current
for Georgetown, then an independent city. They purchased General Electric
steam turbine
technology, based on patents originally held by inventor Charles Curtis
. At the time, this was cutting edge technology, and the Georgetown Steam Plant "marks the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine
" as the dominant mode of generating electricity on a large scale.
Originally located along an oxbow of the Duwamish River
to provide cooling water, the plant was left inland after the original river channel was straightened in 1917. Retired after nearly 75 years of operation, it remains "surprisingly complete and operable". The plant has three Curtis turbine
s, manufactured by the General Electric Company between 1906 and 1917.
Puget Sound Traction and Lighting Company (now Puget Power) bought the Seattle Electric Company in 1912; the Georgetown Steam Plant powered the Seattle-to-Tacoma
Interurban
and Seattle streetcars; it also provided residential and industrial power to Georgetown. Originally an oil
-fired plant, it converted to a coal
in 1917.
in 1984, and is also designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. At the time of its landmarking, it contained the "last operating examples of the world's first large scale, steam turbine". The building itself, "built by a fast-track construction process, was designed and supervised by Frank W. Gilbreth, later a nationally famous proponent of efficiency engineering." The building is also a Seattle City Landmark and is on the Washington State Register of Historic Places.
Paul Carosino and Lilly Tellefson founded the Georgetown PowerPlant Museum to restore, maintain and operate the plant. The group was officially founded April 25, 1995. Carosino and Tellefson initially served as joint executive directors; Tellefson took over the role after Carosino's death in 1996.
The plant remains owned by Seattle City Light
, the city's public electric utility; they lease it to the museum. The museum operates an accredited School of Technology; it opens to the general public from 10AM to 2PM on the second Saturday of each month, when it also hosts hobbyist "steam meets". Simultaneously with the steam meets, the Puget Sound Garden Railroad Society operates a miniature steam railroad on the grounds. The May steam meet is a picnic, with numerous temporary exhibits.
The plant houses the last operable examples of early vertical steam generating turbines, as well as reciprocating steam engines, which are also operational, a collection of vintage machining tools, and several smaller steam engines.
The plant was the site of the last performance of the rock band Big Black
.
Georgetown, Seattle, Washington
Georgetown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is bounded on the north by the mainlines of the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, beyond which is the Industrial District; on the west by the Duwamish River, across which is South Park; on the east by Interstate 5, beyond which is...
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, constructed in 1906 for the Seattle Electric Company, provided power for Seattle, notably for streetcars.
History
The plant was originally built by Stone and Webster in 1906. One of the first reinforced concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
structures on the U.S. West Coast, it originally provided power for the Interurban Railway between Seattle and Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
; it also provided both direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
for Seattle's streetcars and alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
for Georgetown, then an independent city. They purchased General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
technology, based on patents originally held by inventor Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
. At the time, this was cutting edge technology, and the Georgetown Steam Plant "marks the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine
Reciprocating engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of all types...
" as the dominant mode of generating electricity on a large scale.
Originally located along an oxbow of the Duwamish River
Duwamish River
The Duwamish River is the name of the lower of Washington state's Green River. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway.- History :...
to provide cooling water, the plant was left inland after the original river channel was straightened in 1917. Retired after nearly 75 years of operation, it remains "surprisingly complete and operable". The plant has three Curtis turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s, manufactured by the General Electric Company between 1906 and 1917.
Puget Sound Traction and Lighting Company (now Puget Power) bought the Seattle Electric Company in 1912; the Georgetown Steam Plant powered the Seattle-to-Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
Interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
and Seattle streetcars; it also provided residential and industrial power to Georgetown. Originally an oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
-fired plant, it converted to a coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
in 1917.
Landmark and museum
The building was declared a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1984, and is also designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. At the time of its landmarking, it contained the "last operating examples of the world's first large scale, steam turbine". The building itself, "built by a fast-track construction process, was designed and supervised by Frank W. Gilbreth, later a nationally famous proponent of efficiency engineering." The building is also a Seattle City Landmark and is on the Washington State Register of Historic Places.
The plant remains owned by Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light is the public utility providing electrical power to Seattle, Washington and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park and parts of unincorporated King County, Burien, Normandy Park, Seatac, Renton, and Tukwila...
, the city's public electric utility; they lease it to the museum. The museum operates an accredited School of Technology; it opens to the general public from 10AM to 2PM on the second Saturday of each month, when it also hosts hobbyist "steam meets". Simultaneously with the steam meets, the Puget Sound Garden Railroad Society operates a miniature steam railroad on the grounds. The May steam meet is a picnic, with numerous temporary exhibits.
The plant houses the last operable examples of early vertical steam generating turbines, as well as reciprocating steam engines, which are also operational, a collection of vintage machining tools, and several smaller steam engines.
The plant was the site of the last performance of the rock band Big Black
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
.
External links
- ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks #45 - Information on the museum
- Seattle Electric Company's Georgetown Steam Plant - National Park Service