The historic old Bell Labs building in Holmdel, New Jersey, is being converted into a “metroburb,” a giant, indoor “Main Street” that will house stores, a food hall, and technology company offices.
In 2007, Alcatel-Lucent, the company that had taken over Bell Labs from AT&T, shut down operations at the 460-acre site. The question of what to do with the property within the wealthy suburban community lingered for years, after one plan to demolish the building to build housing was shot down. That’s because the Eero Saarinen-designed structure, once described as the “biggest mirror ever,” was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and demolition became unthinkable.
There were no takers for the 2 million sf structure until Ralph Zucker, and his development company, Somerset Development, conceived of the repurposing of the structure into a mixed-use property. It took five years for the town to grant final approval for the purchase, and to have the building rezoned as mixed-use.
There was initial resistance to the plan, but the town has largely embraced the development in the intervening years. The project could become an exemplar for other communities who have giant former corporate headquarters that have outlived their original purpose.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Bechtel, Nautilus partner on sustainable, high-performance data centers
Facilities would use 70% less power for cooling, eliminate consumption of drinking water.
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Surfside condo collapse could spur new legislation
Natl. Institute of Standards and Technology is investigating.
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Intl. Code Council appoints committees to lead energy code development
One-third of appointees are government regulators.
Codes and Standards | Jul 1, 2021
COVID-19 made payment delays to contractors much worse
Only one in ten companies is always getting paid in full.
Codes and Standards | Jun 30, 2021
New resource for public sector organizations to develop energy data management program
Dept. of Energy document contains more than 30 examples of successful implementations.
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2021
Biden China policy may spur more increased U.S. PV manufacturing capacity
Senate bill proposes advanced solar manufacturing production credit.
Codes and Standards | Jun 28, 2021
Local and state building energy performance standards aim to curb climate change
Owners must up the ante on operations and retrofits.
Codes and Standards | Jun 24, 2021
Biden Administration will restore ‘Waters of the U.S.’ protections ended by Trump
Early revision more likely to hold up in court, says legal expert.
Codes and Standards | Jun 23, 2021
Denver unveils renewable heating and cooling plan
City releases roadmap to decarbonizing existing homes and buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jun 22, 2021
Actually, few companies plan to significantly reduce their office footprint
CBRE survey shows that many firms will continue with hybrid work.