[3] The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) describes the plant as the "first central power station in the United States to be equipped and successfully operated with pulverized coal.

"[4] The oldest building of the complex is the machine shop and boiler room #2, designed by E. Townsend Mix and built in 1890 for the Edison Illuminating Company.

The chief engineer for the company directed experiments to determine whether pulverized coal would conserve fuel and reduced the cost of electrical power.

However, pulverized coal was determined to be much more efficient than stoker firing in the central station boilers.

In addition to the change in the coal, a "water screen" was developed to reduce the temperature of the waste ash, to prevent it from fusing as slag on the floor of the boiler.