BELL WORKS
HOLMDEL, NJ
AT&T Bell Labs was the preeminent laboratory conducting basic and applied research that shaped our modern world throughout the 20th century. Initially conceived to provide in-house research & development for AT&T’s nationwide expansion of “The System”, Bell Labs rapidly grew into a hub of innovation and scientific achievement with AT&T’s stout and consistent funding. The first headquarters was in New York City and later moved to Murray Hill New Jersey. Bell Labs soon sought further expansion into New Jersey for their growing technical and administrative staff.
The Holmdel building was designed by modernist master Eero Saarinen with landscape design by Sasaki, Walker and associates. Completed in three phases between 1966 and 1985, the design was an outgrowth of Saarinen’s theories on laboratory functionality first implemented at the IBM Technical Center. The subsequent additions were designed by Saarinen’s partners, Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, and closely matches the original massing and materiality. Bell Labs saw its funding slowly dwindle following the breakup of the Bell System in the mid 1980’s and soon had merged with the French telecom company Alcatel. A victim of the dot-com bust, Alcatel scaled back their operations and in 2007, Bell Labs completely vacated the Holmdel building as they consolidated into the Murray Hill campus.
Long considered undevelopable due to its laboratory-specific layout, deep floor plates and obsolete building systems, the Bell Labs Holmdel site languished and was nearly demolished for a housing tract. Former employees petitioned to save the building due to its historical importance, and our client Inspired by Somerset Development purchased the property in 2013. Somerset coined the term “Metroburb” – a condensed version of a metropolitan experience in suburbia, all under one roof.
Bell Works has transformed from an abandoned relic into an economic engine, community center, and cultural hub for Holmdel and greater Monmouth County. On any given day, the atrium is full of students, neighbors, office workers and families marveling at this resurrected architectural gem. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 and as a result, received historic tax credits which funded the conversion into Bell Works. G3 was retained as Town Architect also in 2017, and are immensely proud to have been included in this unique project. Our services have included nearly half a million square feet of adaptive reuse spaces for offices, co-working, retail stores, fitness studios, a Montessori kindergarten, event plans and even new laboratories.
The project has been honored with many awards including a project award from Preservation New Jersey in 2021. Bell Works can also be seen as the ominous headquarters of the fictional company Lumon Industries in the hit Apple TV show, Severance.