Edison's Menlo Park Lab

Thomas Edison established his research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1876, describing it as an invention factory where he pledged to produce a minor invention every ten days and a big thing every six months or so. In the next six years he invented the phonograph, developed the first practical incandescent light bulb, and created the first electrical power distribution system. The lab in Menlo Park was the world's first institution devoted entirely to the systematic development of technology for commercial use, essentially inventing the concept of the industrial research laboratory.

Source: Wikipedia