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Con Edison Bicentennial Photos

For over 200 years, Con Edison has been committed to powering the most energetic and populous city in the country. Over time, our logo and the technology we use may change, but our steadfast commitment to delivering safe, reliable, affordable energy never wavers. Travel back in time with us.
  • Black and white photo of workers standing in front of the Equitable Gas Light Company building's front entrance.
  • Black and white photo of people looking at an electrical substation.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker standing in front of a work site dug into a New York City street corner.
  • Vintage black and white photo of a New York City street lined with utility poles.
  • Historic photo of a New York City work site showing a pile of pipes and people looking on.
  • Black and white photo of a New York City street lined with utility poles.
  • Black and white photo of Times Square lit up at night during the early-to-mid 1900's.
  • Crowds of people in Times Square on November 5, 2015.
  • Black and white photo of Con Edison's headquarters in New York City.
  • An aerial view of Con Edison's headquarters in downtown Manhattan.
  • The Con Edison tower illuminated with rainbow colors.

Energy Transforms New York:

On March 26, 1823, the New York State legislature granted a charter to the New York Gas Light Co. It was the beginning of what is now one of the largest energy providers in the country, Con Edison. By 1880, New York City’s major gas companies including Equitable Gas Light Co. agreed on a price for the fuel and to cease building mains that competed with those of other companies, making energy more affordable. This took the edge off the battles for customers among rival “gas house gangs.”

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  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker peeping his head out of a manhole.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker lowering himself down a manhole.
  • Black and white photo of two Con Edison workers taking measurements by an open manhole.
  • Black and white photo of two Con Edison workers posing by a manhole.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker climbing up a manhole while holding cable.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker handing a tool to a colleague who is inside a manhole.
  • A Con Edison steam worker poses for a photo while halfway down a manhole.
  • A Con Edison worker climbs out of a manhole.
  • A Con Edison employee inspects underground electric equipment in Manhattan.
  • Black and white photo of several manhole covers.
  • Con Edison electric crews lift up a manhole on a city street.

Workers in Manholes:

A worker pops his head out of one of the first manholes installed in New York's cobblestone streets. The work runs parallel to the horse-drawn trolley lines.

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  • Black and white photo of two workers seated and observing a monitoring station.
  • Black and white photo of Con Edison workers at utility monitoring stations.
  • Historic photo of four Con Edison workers inside a monitoring station room.
  • Black and white photo of Con Edison system operators at the 59th Street Generating Station.
  • Three Con Edison employees in an energy center control room.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison systems operator.
  • Black and white photo of Con Edison employees at an energy control center.
  • A black and white photo of a Con Edison computer operations employee.
  • Fish-eye view of Con Edison's control room at the Energy Control Center.
  • Three Con Edison employees in a control room monitoring the grid system.

Evolution of Control Rooms:

System operators monitoring the grid in the early 1900s.

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  • Historical photo of workers climbing a utility pole.
  • Black and white photo of a worker hoisted up a truck and platform to repair a streetlamp.
  • A Con Edison undergoes a training exercise on a utility pole.
  • Con Edison workers undergoing training for overhead emergency crews on utility poles.
  • Overhead crews working at night to restore power following Hurricane Ida.
  • Overhead crews run new cables to restore power in the Bronx.

Working on Utility Poles:

Workers climbing a utility pole.

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  • Black and white photo of Thomas Edison working in his laboratory.
  • Black and white photo of Thomas Edison working in a laboratory.
  • A portrait of inventor Lewis Latimer,

Historical Figures:

Thomas A. Edison working in the laboratory.

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  • Vintage photo of a man holding several pieces of equipment.
  • Historical image of Con Edison workers posing for a photo.
  • Black and white photo of three Con Edison workers taking a meter reading.
  • Black and white photo of two Con Edison workers looking at a wall of meters.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison workers holding an electrical component.
  • Two Con Edison workers install an AMI meter on Staten Island.

Meters:

A man with gas meters.

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  • Black and white photo of four Con Edison workers prepping to dig into a city street,
  • Black and white photo of Con Edison workers unloading equipment onto a city street.
  • Black and white photo of workers posing for a photo by their work vehicle.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison worker connecting a hose to a pipe on a city street.
  • A Con Edison construction worker jackhammers into a street in Queens.
  • A Con Edison worker shutting down equipment at a steam plant in Manhattan.
  • A Con Edison employee at the East River Steam plant monitor's equipment.
  • A Con Edison leak survey technician performs a walking survey of residential gas service.
  • A Con Edison steam employee works on underground pipes.
  • Two Con Edison steam employees work on underground pipes.
  • A Con Edison worker demonstrates a new circuit breaker inspection safety device.

Street Work, Tools and Equipment:

Crews breaking cement before jackhammers.

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  • Black and white photo of a man getting into a Con Edison vehicle in New York City.
  • Black and white photo of an historic Con Edison work van.
  • Black and white photo of a historic Con Edison emergency vehicle.
  • Vintage photo of an early twentieth century Con Edison truck.
  • Black and white photo of a historic Con Edison work truck.
  • A black and white photo of a historic Con Edison truck parked on the streets of New York City.
  • Historic photo of a man driving a Con Edison work truck.
  • Historic image of Con Edison work vehicles parked outside the Consolidated Gas Company building during the early 1900's.
  • Black and white photo of a Con Eison work van driving on the streets of New York City.
  • Black and white photo of a woman disembarking off from a Con Edison bus
  • Black and white photo of a Con Edison bus driving through New York City.
  • Vintage photo of a blue Con Edison car driving past the United Nations in New York City.
  • Vintage photo of a blue Con Edison car parked outside the United Nations in New York City.
  • A plug-in hybrid power Smart Charge New York Con Edison Chevy Volt car.
  • A parked Con Edison electric car plugged into a charging station.
  • An all-electric Con Edison bucket truck.

Company Vehicles:

An electric Mars II Con Edison Clean Energy vehicle.

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  • Black and white historical photo of two women working at Con Edison.
  • Black and white photo of women job training at Con Edison.
  • Historical image of Con Edison workers mapping out plans on a chalkboard.
  • A Con Edison employee working at a gas replacement site on a New York City street.
  • A Con Edison worker installs gas mains along a tunnel dug into a street.
  • Women members of Con Edison's Hazardous Materials team posing on a city street.
  • Con Edison employees reviewing schematics at a worksite.

Women of Con Edison:

Women working the midnight shift in a power plant during World War I.

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  • A Con Edison work vehicle parked in front of a battery storage station in Queens.
  • Three Con Edison workers inspecting a battery storage system.
  • Workers install solar panels on the roof of a building in New York.
  • Solar panels on the roof of the Jacob Javits Federal Office Building in New York City.
  • Two Con Edison employees working on large-scale energy storage system.

Renewables:

Con Edison's recent battery storage systems designed to provide reliability when demand surges on the hottest days of the year and charge when energy is less expensive - a win-win for customers.

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  • A Con Edison employee wearing a gas mask and hazmat suit sits in the driver seat of a work truck.
  • A Con Edison van, fire truck and car lie in rubble at the World Trade Center following nine eleven.
  • Crews walk around ground zero assessing damage after nine eleven.
  • Two firetrucks toppled over next to rubble from collapsed building at World Trade Center following nine eleven.
  • Cranes and work vehicles at ground zero cleaning up the damage from nine eleven.
  • A Con Edison employee talks on the phone as another employee stands over them looking at diagrams on a desk.
  • Con Edison crews unload cable from a truck to repair damage from nine eleven.
  • Con Edison crews repair the underground electrical grid in downtown Manhattan after nine eleven.
  • Lines of electrical cable run up and down a New York City Street.
  • Con Edison crews working on repairing electrical wire near ground zero following nine eleven.
  • Three Con Edison employees look at plans on a New York City Street.
  • Con Edison employees speak to a firefighter at a worksite near ground zero after nine eleven.
  • Con Edison crews repair underground wiring near ground zero after nine eleven.
  • Con Edison crews repairing underground wires on a New York City Street after nine eleven.

September 11, 2001

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  • Con Edison bucket trucks parked in a narrow street in a Puerto Rico neighborhood.
  • A Con Edison worker reviews plans on the hood of a truck.
  • Con Edison crews perform repair work on a roof of a building.
  • A Con Edison bucket truck parked along a street with downed powerlines.
  • Two bucket trucks parked next to severely damaged utility poles and downed wires.
  • Con Edison workers climbing a utility pole to perform repairs.
  • A sign written in both English and Spanish attached to a gate thanking workers for help.

2017 Mutual Assistance in Puerto Rico

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