Oneida Street Station
Encyclopedia
Oneida Street Station, also known as the East Wells Power Plant, was a power plant operated by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company. Constructed from 1898 to 1900, it was designed by architect Herman Esser in neoclassical revival
style. The building is located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, at the Milwaukee River
and Wells Street, which was once known as Oneida Street. The company began operating electric street cars in 1890. Their expanding network of streetcar and interurban
railway lines were powered by several of their own power plants. As the company generated more power than they used, they sold the excess electricity, and, as Wisconsin Energy Corporation
, eventually became the major supplier of power to eastern Wisconsin. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) describes the plant as the "first central power station in the United States to be equipped and successfully operated with pulverized coal
."
From 1918 to 1920, the plant was the site of pioneering experiments into the use of pulverized coal-fired boiler
s. The chief engineer for the company directed experiments to determine whether pulverized coal would conserve fuel and reduced the cost of electrical power. This change was seen as controversial, and was opposed by many engineers. However, pulverized coal was determined to be much more efficient than stoker firing in the central station boilers. In addition to the change in the coal, a "water screen" was developed to reduce the temperature of the waste ash, to prevent it from fusing as slag on the floor of the boiler. Soon, boilers all over the country began using pulverized coal, due to the greater efficiency of the process. For this, the site is recognized as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, in 1980, by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1984. However, the power plant was decommissioned and the building was renovated in 1987. The building currently houses the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. The building is located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, at the Milwaukee River
Milwaukee River
The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.- Description :The river begins in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin and flows south past Grafton to downtown Milwaukee, where it empties into Lake Michigan...
and Wells Street, which was once known as Oneida Street. The company began operating electric street cars in 1890. Their expanding network of streetcar and 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...
railway lines were powered by several of their own power plants. As the company generated more power than they used, they sold the excess electricity, and, as Wisconsin Energy Corporation
Wisconsin Energy Corporation
Wisconsin Energy Corporation , based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin through its utility subsidiary, We Energies...
, eventually became the major supplier of power to eastern Wisconsin. 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....
(ASME) describes the plant as the "first central power station in the United States to be equipped and successfully operated with pulverized coal
Pulverized coal-fired boiler
A pulverized coal-fired boiler is an industrial or utility boiler that generates thermal energy by burning pulverized coal that is blown into the firebox....
."
From 1918 to 1920, the plant was the site of pioneering experiments into the use of pulverized coal-fired boiler
Pulverized coal-fired boiler
A pulverized coal-fired boiler is an industrial or utility boiler that generates thermal energy by burning pulverized coal that is blown into the firebox....
s. The chief engineer for the company directed experiments to determine whether pulverized coal would conserve fuel and reduced the cost of electrical power. This change was seen as controversial, and was opposed by many engineers. However, pulverized coal was determined to be much more efficient than stoker firing in the central station boilers. In addition to the change in the coal, a "water screen" was developed to reduce the temperature of the waste ash, to prevent it from fusing as slag on the floor of the boiler. Soon, boilers all over the country began using pulverized coal, due to the greater efficiency of the process. For this, the site is recognized as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, in 1980, 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....
.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1984. However, the power plant was decommissioned and the building was renovated in 1987. The building currently houses the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, founded by Mary Widrig John in 1954, as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, is now located on the east bank of the Milwaukee River in the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex at 108 E Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is home to an eleven member Resident Acting Company...
.