Somerset Development aims to turn the once glorious Bell Labs headquarters into a mixed-used town center, Fortune reports.
Designed by Eero Saarinen in the late 1950s, the two-million-sf, steel-and-glass building was one of the best-funded and successful corporate research laboratories in the world.
According to Fortune, President of Somerset Development, Ralph Zucker, swooped in when he found out that a deal to sell the headquarters to Preferred Real Estate Investments, which was planning on demolishing the site, crumbled.
Because there isn’t much demand for massive office buildings, and Zucker has no interest in turning it into a museum, he is planning instead to convert the iconic structure into a vibrant town center filled with restaurants, shops, and offices.
“An urban oasis in the middle of the suburbs,” Zucker told Fortune. “As well as a monument to American ingenuity.”
Read the full story on Fortune.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Apr 22, 2015
Architects propose sustainable ‘vertical city’ in the Sahara
Designers aim to make the 1,476-foot tower sustainable, relying on rainwater collection, solar power, and geothermal energy.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 13, 2015
Figure-eight shaped hotel to open around PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics Facility
Just three miles away from the Olympic stadiums, the hotel will be a hub of its own.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2015
$100 billion 'city from scratch' taking shape in Saudi Arabia
The new King Abdullah Economic City was conceived to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy by focusing more in its shipping industry.
High-rise Construction | Mar 24, 2015
Timber high-rise residential complex will tower over Stockholm waterfront
The four towers, 20 stories each, will be made entirely out of Swedish pine, from frame to façade.
Mixed-Use | Mar 13, 2015
Dubai announces mega waterfront development Aladdin City
Planned on 4,000 acres in the Dubai Creek area, the towers will be covered in gold lattice and connected via air-conditioned bridges.
High-rise Construction | Mar 11, 2015
Must see: Firm proposes skyscraper with a ‘twist’ in downtown Tulsa
Tulsa, Okla.-based architecture practice Kinslow, Keith & Todd released renderings of a skyscraper concept that takes the shape of a tornado.
Modular Building | Mar 10, 2015
Must see: 57-story modular skyscraper was completed in 19 days
After erecting the mega prefab tower in Changsha, China, modular builder BSB stated, “three floors in a day is China’s new normal.”
Transit Facilities | Mar 4, 2015
5+design looks to mountains for Chinese transport hub design
The complex, Diamond Hill, will feature sloping rooflines and a mountain-like silhouette inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings.
Sponsored | | Mar 3, 2015
New York’s Fulton Center relies on TGP for light-flooded, underground transit hub
Fire-rated curtain wall systems filled this subterranean hub with natural light.
Sponsored | Shopping Centers | Feb 26, 2015
A color-changing gateway for Altara Center
Valspar works with developers to complete a multicolored shopping center façade in Honduras.