In 1919, Charles Nicolai was manager the Construction Service division and
was probably based this room. H.
77
.262 Despite this organizational plan there is
evidence that this department also did some drafting for experimental projects.F."263
Building Third Floor
There were several experimental rooms this floor running along the south side
dating from the 1880s. Dyer and Martin described the third
floor 1910:
On each side the hallway above mentioned, rooms are partitioned off and used
for experimental work various kinds, mostly phonographic, although this floor
are also located the storage-battery testing-room, chemical and physical room and
Edison’s private office, where all his personal correspondence and business affairs
are conducted his personal secretary, Mr. began machinist and was described by
Hutchison "master machinist. Dinwiddie’s room for educational
films (at the east end) was converted into offices for the engineering department.
282 "Functions Present Laboratory Organization," 1919, Thomas Edison, Inc. Next this complex offices,
on the south side Building were the offices the product engineers.
During the period 1901-1914 more space the north side this floor was
converted into experimental rooms. visitor this upper
floor the laboratory building cannot but impressed with consciousness the
incessant efforts that are being made improve the reproducing qualities the
phonograph hears from all sides the sounds vocal and instrumental music
constantly varying volume and timbre, due changes the experimental
devices under trial. Miller.264
This space was completely reorganized 1916. Many the experiments conducted this
floor were concerned with the phonograph.
283 Photograph Album 10, catalog 5209.-Organization. According Fessenden, some time before 1900 James
Gladstone (an English experimenter working batteries for the phonograph), and
the chemist Jonas Aylsworth, among others, were working the third floor.who later took over this department.
264 Dyer, Martin, and Meadowcroft, Edison: His Life and Inventions, 651.
These offices included the Chief Engineer’s office, the Engineering Test Service
department, and the Drafting Service department
