(Update: HAER)
(Skip to the Traction/Spy Run/I&M Plant.)
Fort Wayne used to be served by two power companies: Indiana Michigan and City Utilities. Both used to have power plants in the city. As a kid, I remember driving by I&M's power plant on Spy Run. www.historicaerials.com shows that I&M's power plant still existed in 1962 just north of Elizabeth Street.
I&M closed their plant around the mid 20th century because they used high-tension lines to bring power to the city from AEP's much larger, more efficient power plants. City Utilities kept running their plant a lot longer because it was the only plant they had. I assume they finally sold their customer base to I&M. They used the plant long enough that when they closed it the preservation movement had been invented, and it is now Science Central.
Note in the screenshot that you can see part of the switchyard. It still does its function of distributing power to the city, but now the power comes from a remote location rather than the power plant.
When we moved into our new house in 1958, both I&M and City Utilities had lines running down the back of the yard. Each company served every other house. We had City Utilities. I believe one had an option to change, but we never did. After the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes (and a blog), everyone in the city who had I&M service lost their power because there were so many tornadoes in the area that it took out ALL of the high tension lines that I&M had feeding the city. I believe the number was seven.
Update:
The Hosey Dam was originally built as a hydropower plant.
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History Center
City Light and Power Plant, 1950s.
[This answers where the coal was stored and where NYC crossed Clinton to serve the plant.] |
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Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
Old Power Plant Fort Wayne Indiana probably late 1930's
[Note the NYC yard and freight house on the right.] |
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Don Brown posted
City Light and Power
Remember when you had a choice of power companies?
Yep. When our subdivision was built, they alternated which house got which company. We ended up with City Utilities. We were glad we had City Utilities after tornadoes took out all of the big transmission lines I&M had coming into the city. I&M homes were without power for a while. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was 7 transmission lines like spokes on a wheel. It was supposed to be enough redundancy that weather could not take out all of them. But Mother Nature managed.
Remember it well, Palm Sunday '64. We were among the lucky City Light customers at the time. As I recall the power transmission poles had metal tags identifying them as I&M poles or City Light poles for maintenance purposes as the poles carried both wires. |
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John Brase posted
Got the book from Amazon today. Very nice. Congratulations to Randy and Daniel. |
David Shaw posted two photos with the comment: "Then and Now. Built in 1929, It was the City Light and Power Plant, then became the Science Central Museum in 1995."
They had the RR track up on the street side & had something that shook the cars, really loud, so the coal would come out of the bottom.
My father worked there in the 60's and early 70's just before I and M took over. He came home with t-shirts so darkened by the coal my mother dyed the shirts black.
so are some of the stacks fake??
I'm sure they were real. The older electric plants had several smaller boilers. And the removal costs would have been high enough that preservation and painting was a viable alternative. City Utilities probably sold out because units that small (and dirty) were obsolete by the 1970s. Fort Wayne consumers were also paying for duplicate distribution systems. When our subdivision was built in 1957, every other house (including ours) was CU. The others were I&M.
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Science Central posted
Cars going both ways on Clinton Street, and trains running next to Science Central...or rather, City Light & Power in those days!
Brennen Williams shared
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Dennis DeBruler commented on Brennen's share
The building has been preserved and the smokestacks have been painted. |
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Richard Miranda posted
Fort Wayne, Indiana City Light & Power - March 1952 Image Source: Pinterest Wayne York: Locomotive facing south. NKP Berkshire 765 sat in Lawton Park 1963-1974 about 1/4 mile south of here. Fifty years ago in September, 765 came OUT of that park. Gabe Argenta: look at that grade |
Evan Manley provided four photos on Maison's share.
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It’s a Science Center now called “Science Central” They left a lot of the original equipment inside too which is cool |
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The History Center
posted several photos with the comment:
The City of Fort Wayne made enormous strides in providing public utility service to residents at the beginning of the twentieth century. The City first declared the need for a municipal light and power plant in 1898 and voters approved the construction of a structure in 1906. By September 1908, City Light and Power was generating power, and the first service meter was set on Christmas Eve of the same year. City Light and Power was later enlarged and modernized from 1929 to 1934. The improvements included a new turbine room building, station switchboard, boiler plant, and a 15,000 kW turbo-generator. The improved municipal plant served residents for nearly forty years. The iconic stacks and lighted signs of the expanded City Light and Power Building permeate the memory of those who can remember this Summit City icon. The sale of City Light Utility to Indiana & Michigan Electric Company came after a referendum in the May 1974 primary. In September of that year, Mayor Ivan Lebamoff signed a thirty-five-year lease of the municipal operation to I & M. Since 1995 the Old City Light and Power Building has been home to Science Central. #sociallyhistory
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Becky Osbun
posted three photos with the comment:
"For approximately 50 years, from 1929-1978, the City Light and Power Works building, designed by Froehlich & Emery Engineering Company, served as the chief power producer for the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. During this time period the building underwent several alterations and additions, most notably the 1932 and 1936 bay additions. The City Light and Power building obtains style characteristics similar to typical nineteenth century buildings, by way of the limestone relief detailing and masonry detailing in both limestone and brick. The building's key features are the large industrial windows which enhance the original utilitarian purpose of the plant. Plans are already being made to transform the building into Science Central, a science museum for children. By documenting this building, it is hoped that the memory of the old City Light and Power Works can be preserved." - Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congresshttps://www.loc.gov/item/in0363/
Pat Toll Growing up, we had 2 different power companies. When storms hit, some on the street had power while others did not. I don’t remember what the other company was. Anybody remember?
Dennis DeBruler Indiana & Michigan https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../fort-wayne-in...
Dennis DeBruler Pat Toll Before I&M bought the other power plant, it might have been Indiana Public Service Co.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255493367798489/permalink/2577555018925644/
Pat Toll I think that was it. Thank you so much.❤️
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Becky Osbun commented on her post
6-3-2017: "The former City Light and Power plant opened as Science Central in 1995." - Daniel A. Baker Photograph Album, ACPL |
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Jacqui Carroll posted
Jacqui Carroll This photo is taken from the east side of the building.
Debby Lehman Bonbrake It was about 1994, when the building was being readied to create Science Central, I remember thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if they were to paint each stack a different color?" And then they did! Thanks for using my idea! |
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Silva Lining Photography posted
”Science Project.” Stayed up all night working on it.
The moon came out to play, moon rays and all.
Don’t mind the passing lights! Zoom-in and enjoy!
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10 drone photosTraction/Spy Run/I&M Plant
I had noticed what looked like a yard to store interurban cars that was west of Spy Run and south of State Street. This photo provides the name of that interurban --- Fort Wayne & Northern Indiana Traction Company. This was the power plant at Elizabeth and Spy Run. When I was a kid in the 1950s, I knew it as the Indiana & Michigan power plant.The power plant was built in 1906 by "the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Co., which provided electric interurban rail service from Fort Wayne to Lafayette and Lima, Ohio, and also to connections to the interurban systems in Indianapolis, said Jim Delaney....Indiana Service Co. bought out Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction in 1920 and continued providing interurban rail service until 1945, it said on the website www.indianarailroads.org." [News-Sentinel]
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CassHistory, photo on p19, description on p20
The Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley Traction Company helped build this 1907 plant. "Capacity of the new plant was such that the compnay began the sale of light and power to the people of Fort Wayne."
Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted
The Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley Traction Company helped build this 1907 plant. "Capacity of the new plant was such that the company began the sale of light and power to the people of Fort Wayne."
Brian Plank: Power Park sits there today. |
Dave Mummery
posted the comment: "
Today in 1952, The last freight delivered by an Indiana Public Service Company freight motor is made to the company's Ft. Wayne power plant by motor 817. Future deliveries will be made by the New York Central."
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Mike Snow commented on Dave's post
Mike Snow My sources say Motor Cab 817 made it's last revenue run on February 19 1952.
[They were evidently delivering coal to the I&M power plant.] |
Jeff Smith
posted twelve photos withh the comment: "
Some photographs of the old (now demolished) Indiana Service Corporation streetcar barn and shops on Spy Run. Photographs courtesy of the ACPL digital collection."
Dan Meese The State Street bridge look brand new. At the extreme top of the picture I can see the house I grew up in on Penn Avenue when I enlarge the picture. Penn Avenue was the last street in the city limits at the time. In this picture the street only has a few houses and was yet to be built out
James Sowers I think i&m just tore down the last of those buildings last month ??
Sandy Race Was this the I&M buildings?
Jone Jerraid Yes, I walked into that building for 35 years before I retired!
[I can remember sparks sometimes flying where the trolley pole rubs the wire. I've also watched drivers put a pole back in contact with a wire after it jumped off. It didn't happen to often, but it did happen.]
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A higher resolution and better exposure of the above.
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One of five photos posted by Kerry Hall
Some might remember that the facility on Spy Run that Indiana & Michigan occupies prior to them buying it in the 60s started out as a repair facility for the cities street cars. The building was build in 1925 and I am not sure when it started servicing the street cars. Of course all of the overhead electrical lines were taken down long ago but when they tore down the old building and parking lot there was still a lot of railroad tracks under the ground and running through the building. Check out the area from the aerial views and notice how much it has changed. |
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Eric Hackworth commented on Kerry's post
If you go to the oldest imagery on the Allen County GIS Page you can see it intact. |
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