Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind

Nikola Tesla had a notable geographic connection to the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind during his famous 1899 experiments in Colorado Springs. He built his experimental laboratory on Knob Hill, just a short distance east of the school — approximately 200 feet away, between the school and the Union Printers Home, near what is now East Kiowa Street and North Foote Avenue. Tesla commuted daily from his downtown hotel to the lab, often passing by the school grounds on his way. Local newspapers at the time even referred to his laboratory as being built “but a short distance from our school.”

Tesla spent about a year at this remote station conducting high-voltage, high-frequency experiments, including work on wireless power transmission and his famous artificial lightning discharges. The proximity to the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (founded in 1874 and located on Knob Hill, about one mile east of downtown Colorado Springs) placed his groundbreaking — and sometimes disruptive — electrical work right next door to the institution. There is no record of direct personal interaction between Tesla and the students or staff, but the school has long embraced the historical link as part of its local heritage.

The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind that existed during Tesla’s time is the same physical institution operating today. While the campus has grown and been modernized over the decades, the core location on Knob Hill remains unchanged, and the school still stands near the former site of Tesla’s laboratory (which was dismantled in 1904 due to unpaid bills). The school proudly notes its closeness to Tesla’s famous experimental station in its historical materials.