How the Revitalized Bell Labs in New Jersey Was Transformed Into Lumon Industries in ‘Severance’

Ralph Zucker of Inspired by Somerset Development talked to CNBC Make It about buying the legendary Bell Labs building in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, and renovating it to become Bell Works, an interactive hub that is home to more than 100 companies, a library, co-working spaces, and a grocery store.

In 2013, Ralph Zucker and his firm purchased Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ, for $27 million. After 10 years and $273 million worth of renovations, the two-million-square-foot mixed-use development is about 98% leased and home to over 100 companies.

While this place is incredibly lively, when Severance production designer Jeremy Hindle saw the building, he knew it was the perfect location for the stark headquarters of Lumon Industries.

What I love about Bell Labs is that it is similar to the show in some ways. Originally, Bell Labs was building a community of all these amazing engineers and technicians to live, to raise their families. They shared everything like they had farmers markets, they had all these sort ofthings. And that was so beautiful and interesting. And it's like Lumon's sort of the same. Just took the wrong path.

According to Zucker, the transformation was incredible.

Watching Bell Works come to life in Severance" was a thrill. The retransformation of Bell Works back into what it was beforehand, this space devoid of life, devoid of humanity. And the juxtaposition of that to what Bell Works really is - this amazing place, teeming with life, with people, an inspired place to work was just mind blowing.