These smokestacks, which are prominent on the NYC skyline, are part of the power-generating facility Ravenswood No. 3, also known as Big Allis (named after the turbine manufacturer Allis-Chalmers Corp.) The power plant sits on the shore of the East River in Queens on Vernon Boulevard, in a neighborhood known as Ravenswood in Long Island City. It was the world’s largest generating facility when it went into service in 1965, capable of producing 1 million kilowatts. It was sold by public utility Con Edison to KeySpan Energy in 1999.
In 2004, the facility was expanded with new state-of-the-art technology amid community concerns over pollution. It is now capable of generating 25% of New York City’s power requirements. A New York Times article referred to the plant as the “Death Valley of New York City” – temperatures can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit on the floor of the turbine room…
For some reason, I always loved this building. Was it featured in Conspiracy Theory–final scene?
Don’t know about use in that film, but it sure is sure is hard to miss if you travel in and out of the city by car.
Brian
This pic is of the entire Ravenswood complex. Ravenswood 3 is the third stack from the right. Technically, only Ravenswood 3 is “Big Allis,” but it’s common to just refer to the entire complex by that name.
Some folks use 10/20/30/40 instead of 1/2/3/4 for the generators at Ravenswood.
I was born in (what was then called) New York Hospital, right across the East River from here. When I was a kid, I thought that the power plant was the hospital.
Mark – thanks for the correction.
When I was a young boy in the 70’s, my Grandfather, then in his 60’s, refered to this facility as ’Big Bertha’.
A magnificent site, ever enchanting to see. Thank you for this alluring photo.
My father worked here my entire childhood and into my adulthood. ” If Big Allis went down heads would roll” was the reason our father gave us for the two or three 8 hour overtimes he worked each week. The image is a part of my make up