Kips Bay Generating Station
| Company type | Power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy, Steam power generation |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Dismantled (1987–1994), site redeveloped for residential and educational use |
| Headquarters | Manhattan, New York City , United States |
Area served | New York City municipal steam network |
| Owner | New York Steam Corporation (original), later Consolidated Edison (after merger) |
Kips Bay Generating Station was a steam power facility situated in Manhattan, New York City, that operated from 1926 until 1987. Positioned in the Murray Hill area along First Avenue between East 35th and 36th Streets adjacent to the East River, it was initially established by the New York Steam Corporation. The station generated steam for the municipal steam network of New York City and later came under the management of Consolidated Edison following their corporate merger. The plant was dismantled over the period from 1987 to 1994. After the shutdown and sale of Con Edison's nearby Waterside Generating Station in 2005, the former Kips Bay location was transferred to a private developer, underwent environmental cleanup, and was transformed into residential high-rises and an educational facility.
Inception and initial operations
During the 1920s, the New York Steam Corporation expanded its district heating infrastructure concurrent with urban development near Grand Central Terminal. This expansion involved establishing the Kips Bay Generating Station as its fourth steam production facility and enhancing output at its Sixtieth Street Station on the East River. The company also secured arrangements to utilize off-peak steam from the neighboring Waterside Generating Station, effectively balancing steam and electricity demands during varying peak periods.
In June 1926, plans were submitted for a new plant at 407–425 East 35th Street comprising a mid-rise structure approximately 145 feet tall with a footprint measuring 188 by 151 feet. Constructed on a former lumber yard bordered by East 35th and 36th Streets, First Avenue, and the East River, construction contracts were awarded to Dwight P. Robinson & Co.
The initial boiler commenced operation on December 23, 1926, followed by two additional units before year-end. These three water-tube boilers, developed in collaboration with Combustion Engineering and Thomas E. Murray, Inc., each produced up to 325,000 pounds of steam per hour. The plant began functioning amid ongoing construction to satisfy city steam requirements. Further expansion included two more boilers: a fourth added in 1927 and a fifth in November 1930. After these enhancements, total steam output capacity reached 2,450,000 pounds per hour, establishing it as the largest centralized steam generation facility worldwide. The station also contained generators capable of producing up to 13,000 kilowatts exclusively for internal use and housed seven coal pulverizers—including one with a capacity of 50 short tons per hour, reportedly the largest globally. Its riverside location facilitated coal delivery via barge transport. A singular smokestack rising 380 feet was part of the plant’s design.
This augmented capacity enabled the New York Central Railroad to discontinue its own boiler plants supplying steam within the Grand Central area by 1929—specifically those located at Park Avenue and East 50th Street (later replaced by the Waldorf Astoria) as well as beneath Grand Central Terminal (which was repurposed as the M42 sub-basement).
Later alterations
In 1942, construction of the final segment of East River Drive between East 34th and East 49th Streets was completed adjacent to the Kips Bay Generating Station. This portion, built on land reclaimed from the East River, necessitated $700,000 worth of adjustments to coal and ash handling systems linking the plant with river barges.
Consolidated Edison finalized its merger with New York Steam Company on March 8, 1954. Although founded in 1879, New York Steam Company had been controlled by Consolidated Gas since 1929. By the late 1960s, Kips Bay operated using coal and fuel oil with a steam production capacity surpassing that of all other Con Edison facilities combined. The use of coal ceased by the early 1970s, leading to removal of coal-related infrastructure.
Subsequently, Con Edison installed an underground storage tank, pump house, and auxiliary equipment on the western side of the plant along with a sidewalk plaza facing First Avenue on its eastern side. The storage tank functioned as backup fuel supply for Waterside Generating Station. Fuel oil deliveries arrived via barges at an East River pier located south of East 36th Street and were piped directly into on-site storage tanks.
Closure and redevelopment
During the mid-1980s, the zoning designation of the area surrounding the steam plant—situated between First Avenue and the FDR Drive—shifted from industrial to commercial and residential purposes. This change led to the erection of high-rise residential buildings such as Rivergate, Manhattan Place, and Horizon.[1] While the above-ground portions of the steam plant were dismantled between 1987 and 1994, Con Edison maintained use of the location for parking vehicles and storing backup fuel supplies for the Waterside Generating Station.[2] By 2004, all remaining surface and underground facilities, collectively known as the Kips Bay Fuel Terminal, had been completely removed.[3]
In 1999, Con Edison placed the Kips Bay Generating Station property on the market along with two additional nearby sites.[4] Later that year, the company also announced intentions to sell the Waterside Generating Station site together with three other properties.[5] These transactions were finalized in 2005, coinciding with the shutdown of the Waterside plant.[6] Environmental cleanup efforts concluded by 2008, after which rezoning received approval from both the New York City Planning Commission and New York City Council.[7]
The block formerly occupied by the steam plant was redeveloped to include an elementary educational facility, P.S. 281 – The River School, which commenced operations in 2013, alongside two residential towers known as the American Copper Buildings, completed in stages during 2017 and 2018.[8][9] Furthermore, the old fueling pier was adapted for use as part of the East 34th Street Ferry Landing.[10][11]