Bell Labs Holmdel Complex

Before the complex was constructed, the site was used by Bell Telephone Laboratories for research. Karl Guthe Jansky invented radio astronomy there, and a monument was placed at the former location {{nowrap|({{coord|40|21|54.5|N|74|09|48.9|W|type:landmark_region:US-NJ|display=inline}})}} of the antenna almost seventy years later in 1998. The monument is a stylized sculpture of the antenna and is oriented as Jansky's antenna was at 7:10 p.m. on September 16, 1932, at a moment of maximum signal caused by alignment with the center of our galaxy in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.[http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=17286 Karl Jansky Radio Astronomy Monument]{{cite web

| url = http://www.bell-labs.com/news/1998/june/4/2.html

| title = Detective Work Leads to Monument Honoring the Father of Radio Astronomy

| date = June 3, 1998

| publisher = Bell Labs

| access-date = May 15, 2012

| archive-date = April 19, 2013

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130419144954/http://www.bell-labs.com/news/1998/june/4/2.html

| url-status = dead

}}

In subsequent years, radio astronomy and similar research was done at the separate Crawford Hill annex facility,{{cite journal | first=O. E. | last=De Lange | title=Propagation studies at microwave frequencies by means of very short pulses | journal=The Bell System Technical Journal | volume= 31 | number= 1 | pages= 91–103 | date=January 1952 | doi= 10.1002/j.1538-7305.1952.tb01377.x | url=https://archive.org/details/bstj31-1-91/page/n1/mode/2up?q=crawford }} some {{convert|3|mi|spell=in}} away from the main Holmdel complex.{{cite news | title=Holmdel may use eminent domain to buy land | first=Olivia | last=Liu | newspaper=Asbury Park Press | date=August 11, 2023 | pages=3A, 4A}}

File:AT&T Holmdel-wide-cropped.jpg

File:AT&T Homdel.jpg

File:Bell Labs water tower NJ1.jpg

In 1957, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) began to plan a research laboratory in Holmdel Township in Central New Jersey. Constructed between 1959 and 1962, the complex design was one of the final projects of Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen before his death in 1961. Used as a research and development complex, it served the needs of the Bell Laboratories division of AT&T. Basic research, applied hardware development, and software development occurred in the building.

The building's distinctive features, including its mirror-like appearance, led to recognition as the Laboratory of the Year by R&D in 1967.{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-21202521.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021152404/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-21202521.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-10-21 |title=Bell Laboratories Holmdel Complex. (1967 Laboratory of the Year) |access-date=2008-09-27 |last=Higginbotham |first=Julie |date=1998-05-01 |work=R&D |publisher=}}

The building was expanded in 1966 and 1982 to its final size of {{convert|2000000|sqft|spell=in}} of office and laboratory space.{{cite web |url=http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS01/809150322/1004 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117041456/http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS01/809150322/1004 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-17 |title=Bell Labs site's future |access-date=2008-09-27 |last=Thompson |first=Sametta |date=2008-09-15 |publisher=APP.com}} Despite these expansions, the original curtain wall design remained intact, as did the unique layout of the site, which included a large elliptical master plan and country-road like approach. Over its active life-span, the facility and its layout were studied in universities as models of modernist architecture.{{cite web |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/abandoned_bell_labs_could_make.html |title=Abandoned Bell Labs could make history again |access-date=2008-09-27 |last=Shearn |first=Tim |date=2008-08-03|work=NJ.com |publisher=The Star-Ledger| archive-url= https://archive.today/20081003051844/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/abandoned_bell_labs_could_make.html| archive-date= 3 October 2008 | url-status= live}} Internally, the building was divided into four pavilions of labs and offices, each separated from the others by a cross-shaped atrium. The internal pavilions were linked via sky-bridges and perimeter walkway.

The water tower on the complex is a three-legged design that reminded people of a transistor. Despite the lack of any documented historical evidence, an urban legend claims that the designer intentionally modelled the tower on the form of a transistor.{{Cite web|title=World's Largest Transistor, Holmdel, New Jersey|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8180|access-date=2022-02-25|website=RoadsideAmerica.com|language=en}} Another urban legend – less widely circulated than the transistor story – claims that the concrete floodlight stand at the base of the tower was originally a water fountain.Personal story told by a Bell Works concierge. The tower was still in usable condition more than 40 years after its construction.{{cite web |url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8180 |title=World's Largest Transistor |access-date=2008-09-27 |date=April 2008 |publisher=RoadsideAmerica.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081006164058/http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8180| archive-date= 6 October 2008 | url-status= live}}

File:Bell Labs Holmdel, NJ.jpg

Bell Labs subsequently became part of Lucent, and then Alcatel-Lucent.{{Cite news |title=The Ghost of Invention: A Visit to Bell Labs |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/09/coupland-bell-labs/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}

In 2006, Alcatel-Lucent contracted to sell the {{convert|2000000|sqfoot|adj=on|spell=in}} facility to Preferred Real Estate Investments, during the process of restructuring the company's research efforts. Despite initial plans to maintain the original buildings and keep the six-story complex as a corporate office park, Preferred later sought to rezone it as residential property.{{Cite web |title=World's Largest Transistor, Holmdel, New Jersey |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8180 |access-date=2022-02-25 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en}}{{cite web |last=Caiazza |first=Tom |date=2006-09-06 |title=Bell Labs portion will be preserved in Holmdel |url=http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0906/Front_page/001.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006181804/http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0906/Front_page/001.html |archive-date=6 October 2008 |access-date=2008-09-27 |work=The Independent}}

As a result, the complex was added to The Cultural Landscape Foundation's list of 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in New Jersey in May 2007. Additionally, action led to the creation of a citizen's group, Preserving Holmdel, by former Bell employees, to lobby for keeping the complex as it was when in use as a laboratory.{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Former Bells Labs Site |url=http://www.opennewworlds.com/index2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003034243/http://www.opennewworlds.com/index2.html |archive-date=3 October 2008 |access-date=2008-09-27 |publisher=Preferred Unlimited}} A report by Preservation New Jersey contemplated changes to the property, including ideas such as a university center, recreational complex, and a healthcare facility.{{cite web |last=Block |first=Ryan |date=2006-09-01 |title=Holmdel Bell Labs facility update: it stays! |url=https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/holmdel-bell-labs-facility-update-it-stays/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006164023/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/holmdel-bell-labs-facility-update-it-stays/ |archive-date=6 October 2008 |access-date=2008-09-27 |publisher=Engadget}}

The transaction with Preferred Real Estate Investments did not close, and on May 17, 2012, Holmdel Township declared the site as an "Area in Need of Redevelopment"{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Lawrence |date=April 22, 2017 |title=purehistory.org |url=https://purehistory.org/bell-labs-holmdel-complex/}} and adopted a redevelopment plan for the property that included various adaptive reuses of the main building, the construction of up to 40 single-family homes, and 185 age-restricted townhomes outside the main ring road surrounding the building. The plan was based on a concept proposed by Inspired by Somerset Development (then Somerset Development).{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Antoinette |date=2008-05-04 |title=Ideas for Bell Labs’ Future |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/realestate/04njzo.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}}

In September 2013, the property was officially purchased by Inspired by Somerset Development – which submitted a concept plan in accordance with Holmdel Township's redevelopment plan for $27 million.{{Cite web |first=Cathy |last=Cunningham |date=2017-07-11 |title=Investors Bank Lends $70M on Historic Bell Works Redevelopment in NJ |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2017/07/investors-bank-lends-70m-on-historic-bell-works-redevelopment-in-nj/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Commercial Observer |language=en-US}} Inspired by Somerset Development proposed an adaptive reuse project that included offices, a health and wellness center, restaurants, shopping, a spa, and a 20,000-square-foot public library. Recreational space and luxury homes were planned for the surrounding land; national homebuilder Toll Brothers was slated to be the residential developer of the project.

Alexander Gorlin served as the architect for the projects and introduced new designs, which included{{Cite web |title=Bell Works by Alexander Gorlin Architects {{!}} 2020-02-01 {{!}} Architectural Record |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14447-bell-works-by-alexander-gorlin-architects |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=www.architecturalrecord.com |language=en}} opening up the laboratory spaces with atrium light by replacing Saarinen's metal panels with glass, redesigning the two {{convert|1,000|x|100|foot}} atria floors, and replacing skylights with transparent photovoltaic panels. As a result of these design improvements, the building won numerous design and architecture awards, including the Docomomo US Modernism in America Award,{{Cite web |title=Bell Works |url=http://www.docomomo-us.org/register/bell-works |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=www.docomomo-us.org |language=en}} Starnet Commercial Flooring Design Award,{{Cite web |title=Bell Works Wins Gold Corporate Starnet Design Award {{!}} FLOOR Trends & Installation |url=https://www.floortrendsmag.com/articles/103677-bell-works-wins-gold-corporate-starnet-design-award |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=www.floortrendsmag.com |language=en}} and the Azure Awards, Architecture Adaptive Re-Use category.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-23 |title=AZ Awards 2021 Winner: Bell Works |url=https://az-awards.production-001.dev/article/az-awards-2021-winner-bell-works/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=AZ Awards}}

File:Bell Labs Holmdel during repurposing to Bell Works.jpg

In 2013, Inspired by Somerset Development officially secured ownership of the Bell Labs site and signed a deal with Toll Brothers to sell {{convert|103|acre}} of land to develop 225 homes on a portion of the property between the main building and Crawfords Corner Road while retaining the entirety of the Eero Saarinen-designed structure (Bacevice et al., 2022). This deal with Toll Brothers helped provide the capital for Inspired by Somerset Development to pursue its New Urbanism-inspired redevelopment plan at Bell Labs. The plan aimed to transform the site from office-lab to a space that would provide the Holmdel Township community–and other nearby residents–with access to the benefits traditionally associated with an urban environment (shops, dining, retail, library, offices, etc.) while preserving the structure of an iconic piece of mid-twentieth-century architecture.{{Cite journal |last=Bacevice |first=Peter |last2=Ruddell |first2=Darren |last3=Duan |first3=Leilei |date=2022 |title=Bell Works: Lessons from a Transformational Redevelopment |url=https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=4109273 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.4109273 |issn=1556-5068|url-access=subscription }}

Finding that these redevelopment plans satisfied requirements for residential zoning and preservation standards for the property, Holmdel Township officially approved Somerset Development to move forward with the redevelopment of Bell Labs in August 2013.{{Cite web |last=Diamond |first=Michael L. |title=Bell Labs to Bell Works: How one man saved the historic site and made it a tech mecca |url=https://www.app.com/story/news/local/redevelopment/2017/11/15/bell-labs-bell-works-tech-jobs-holmdel/337632001/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Asbury Park Press |language=en-US}} The project was a massive undertaking: The lobby was overgrown with plants and the quarter-mile-long roof leaked. Ralph Zucker, chief executive officer and founder of Inspired by Somerset Development, assembled a team of architects, designers, and marketers, including Alexander Gorlin Architects, The Garibaldi Group, Co Op Brand Partners, and NPZ Style + Décor.

The township and Inspired by Somerset Development concluded a lease agreement for $0 to house the Holmdel Township branch of the Monmouth County Library at Bell Works. This represented a significant increase in space for the library, which went from {{convert|3,000|sqft}} to {{convert|18,000|sqft}}.{{Cite web |last=Cervenka |first=Susanne |title=Holmdel library touted as a center for collaboration |url=https://www.app.com/story/news/local/redevelopment/2017/01/13/holmdel-library/96549620/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Asbury Park Press |language=en-US}}

File:Bell Works first floor 46.jpg

Bell Works has been described as a "metroburb" by Inspired by Somerset CEO Ralph Zucker, who defined it as a "an urban hub — a core, a metropolis — in a suburban location".{{Cite web |date=2020-06-05 |title=The Increasing Allure of the "Metroburb" |url=https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-increasing-allure-metroburb/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=NewCities |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=One Idea for Old Corporate Headquarters: The "Metroburb" |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/real-estate/april-2019/at-t-hoffman-estates-headquarters-metroburb/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US}} According to Bell Works, a metroburb is "a little metropolis in suburbia… A large-scale mixed-use building, with great access, office, retail, entertainment, hospitality, residential, health, wellness, fitness, everything you would find in a metropolis but in a great suburban location."{{Cite web |title=Bell Works {{!}} New Jersey {{!}} Explore |url=https://bell.works/new-jersey/explore/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=Work, Shop, Play {{!}} Inspired Real Estate |language=en-US}} Bell Works’ success as a proof of concept for the metroburb was supported by its new workspace typology, one which used the scale of Bell Works to simulate the density of urban cityscapes within the office while providing a degree of flexibility and modularity that is difficult to achieve outside of a suburban environment.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-02 |title=Bell Works: A Ringing Success in Blended-use Redevelopment |url=https://www.nar.realtor/commercial/create/bell-works-a-ringing-success-in-blended-use-redevelopment |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=www.nar.realtor |language=en}} {{As of|2019}}, more than 90 percent of the campus's office space was leased.

Today, Bell Works's quarter-mile-long atrium has been reimagined into a publicly accessible pedestrian street with shops, restaurants, healthcare, community services, and more. In addition to offering retail and office space, Bell Works hosts conferences and events, including the annual Fourth of July Fireworks.{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Tamara |title=Bell Works annual fireworks display returns June 27 |url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/2024/06/25/bell-works-fireworks-2024-holmdel-nj/74174525007/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Asbury Park Press |language=en-US}} The building, which is open seven days a week, is home to public assets such as the Holmdel Library and Learning Center along with farmers’ markets and holiday celebrations. It also contains a 285-seat theater, opened in 2024 in what was formerly a lecture hall at the laboratory.{{Cite web |title=Bell Works Holmdel: Grand-Opening of Bell Theater Begins This Month |url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/holmdel-and-colts-neck/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/bell-works-holmdel-grand-opening-of-bell-theater-begins-this-month |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=TAPinto |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Nguyen |first=Elliott |title=New theater at Bell Works will provide music and fun for all |url=https://starnewsgroup.com/2024/05/09/new-theater-at-bell-works-will-provide-music-and-fun-for-all |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240916133050/https://starnewsgroup.com/2024/05/09/new-theater-at-bell-works-will-provide-music-and-fun-for-all/ |archive-date=2024-09-16 |access-date=2025-03-26 |language=en-US}} Bell Theater is curated by the Axelrod Performing Arts Center located in Deal.{{Cite web |title=Bell Theater at Bell Works |url=https://www.belltheater.org/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Bell Theater |language=en}}

Starting in 2021, the American science-fiction psychological-thriller television series Severance on Apple TV+ used the Bell Works complex as the fictional headquarters of Lumon Industries. Most exterior building shots, parking lot shots, and some interior shots of the ground floors and above the building are used in the show.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-01-16 |title='Severance' season 2 spent $24M filming in N.J., here are the locations |url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2025/01/severance-season-2-spent-24m-filming-in-nj-here-are-the-locations.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=nj |language=en}}

• Mid-century modern
• Nokia Bell Labs

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• [https://www.abandonedamerica.us/bell-labs "Bell Labs"] at Abandoned America

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Category:AT&T buildings

Category:Bell Labs

Category:Buildings and structures in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Category:Commercial buildings in New Jersey

Category:International style architecture in New Jersey

Category:Eero Saarinen structures

Category:Holmdel Township, New Jersey

Category:Modernist architecture in New Jersey

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Category:New Jersey Register of Historic Places

Category:Physics research institutes

Category:Research institutes in New Jersey

Category:Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey

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