By Editor,Marianne Garvey U.s. Real Estate

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Terrifying Severance office actually exists… but it is completely different in real life

READ MORE: The $25M sale that put a quiet East Coast beach town on the map

By MARIANNE GARVEY, US REAL ESTATE REPORTER

Published: 17:29 BST, 28 September 2025 | Updated: 17:43 BST, 28 September 2025

It’s the ominous home of Lumon Industries in Apple TV’s Severance, but in reality it’s a buzzy building where office workers can take Pilates, have a glass of wine, or order caviar on the rooftop.

The sprawling glass-and-steel complex, named Bell Works, sits in suburban New Jersey. In Holmdel, specifically, a 40-minute drive from New York City. And it’s open to the public seven days a week.

In the Emmy award-winning hit show, Lumon Industries is a mysterious, cult-like biotech giant that severs its employees consciousness into two halves.

There is the ‘innie,’ who knows only the drab, windowless office, and the ‘outie,’ who lives a completely separate life in the outside world. Neither half remembers what the other does and the brain procedure is irreversible.

The group of workers in the Macrodata Refinement Department (MDR) at Lumon work on the ‘severed’ floor, but don’t really know what they actually do.

Much of the sinister setting — from the exteriors and parking lot to the maze-like halls, haunting cavernous atrium, and scary stairwells — was filmed at Bell Works.

And the building has become the subject of much interest as the show’s audience has grown.

Bell Works has between 1,000 and 2,000 visitors daily. Many are fans of the show, while others are simply there to enjoy what the complex has to offer.

In reality, Bell Works is a buzzy building where office workers never have to leave campus and have access to Pilates classes, a rooftop bar and Italian and Japanese restaurants

In Severance, a group of workers in the Macrodata Refinement Department (MDR) at Lumon work on the ‘severed’ floor, but don’t really know what they actually do

The two-million-square-foot complex was built in 1959. It opened as Bell Laboratories, then part of AT&T.

At its peak, more than 6,000 engineers worked inside, developing groundbreaking technologies for telephones and early tech.

Bell Labs was later acquired by telecoms company Alcatel-Lucent, but by 2006, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Inside, crumbling walls and nesting birds were the only thing that could be found.

It was put up for sale — and then sat dormant for seven years.

No one could figure out what to do with the building, which is five stories high, the width of a football field and the length of three football fields.

In 2013, developer Ralph Zucker had an idea to reinvent the building as the Bell Works campus.

His company Somerset Development bought the property for $27 million and by 2015, work was underway to transform it into a walkable, mixed-use community with shops, restaurants, gyms, and modern offices.

Sheetrock was replaced with glass windows, and the overgrown atrium was cleared out. New trees, tables, and modern couches were brought in.

The two-million-square-foot complex was built in 1959 and is the width of a football field and the length of three football fields

There are multiple bars and restaurants inside the Bell Works building that workers can enjoy, like Bar Bella, which is open to the public and offers Bell Works office workers discounts

In 2013, developer Ralph Zucker had an idea to reinvent the building as a sprawling campus, and in 2015 his company Somerset Development bought the property for $27 million

‘To me, the building’s history made it clear that it was never meant to be just another sterile corporate headquarters,’ Zucker told the Daily Mail.

‘It had played a critical role in shaping our society, and I felt its next chapter needed to echo that same spirit, but in a new way.

‘I envisioned the campus as a vibrant place for innovation, connection and community, where people could come together under one roof to create, collaborate and truly thrive.’

The building itself was designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed the St. Louis Arch and TWA Flight Center in New York City. His work inspired Severance production designer Jeremy Hindle’s look for the show.

But instead of shadowy labs and odd cubicles, real-life Bell Works couldn’t be more different.

‘Eero Saarinen designed it to liberate people from the long, boring office hallway,’ said Zucker.

‘The transformation was meticulous. We crafted a master plan with our partners to reimagine the building’s interior, shifting it from a single-tenant research facility into a dynamic, mixed-use environment,’ Zucker said.

‘Preserving the building’s architectural integrity was central to our approach,’ Zucker said.

The building’s atrium boasts inexpensive exercise classes, and group events including mom meetups

The real life Bell Works building gets between 1,000 to 2,000 visitors on any given day that like to walk the campus and explore what the building is like in real life

The rooftop comes complete with a dance floor and an space dedicated to events, parties, and even weddings

Inside the delightful one-square-mile town in New Jersey named the ‘most charming’ in the US

The building has now become one of New Jersey’s most desirable work-play destinations and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

‘It was the kind of recognition I could only have dreamed of when we first set out on this journey.’

Pre-pandemic, 75 percent of the offices were leased. By 2023, it had surged to 95 percent, and in 2024 it hit 99 percent leased, according to New Jersey Business Magazine.

Tenants range from local utility Jersey Central Power & Light to recruiting software firm iCIMS, insurer Guardian Life, and tech giants Nvidia and Cisco.

Bell Works is known as a ‘Metroburb,’ a little metropolis in suburbia, where workers can shoot hoops on a basketball court, browse the library, grab lunch, or head to Pilates without leaving the campus.

The ground floor houses law firms and wealth managers, while the open atrium bustles with cafés, fitness studios, and boutique shops.

The building offers various childcare centers, dog grooming, a podcast studio, escape rooms, a salon, an urgent care, and a Zen Lake.

When the workday ends, the rooftop comes alive. With views of rolling lawns and trees, the roof deck doubles as a party venue, with networking events and receptions that look nothing like the unsettling world of Lumon Industries.

Bell Works often holds events for the community, like outdoor screenings for the community, along with classes and seven day a week access to the building

In real life, Bell Works is a hangout for locals and visitors who are fans of Severance on Apple TV, but on the show the building is a terrifying place

In Severance, Helly and Mark develop feelings for each other despite being ‘severed’ employees with no memory of their other lives

Bar Bella also becomes a local hotspot in summertime with its craft beers and DJ nights.

Bell Market is a food hall inside that offers wood-fired pizzas, sushi, salads, deli sandwiches and coffee.

There’s a jewelry store, a florist, boutiques and home stores.

The Holmdel Library and Learning Center is public library space inside Bell Works and the Holmdel Montessori School is also located in the building.

Fitness studios are scattered throughout. The Bar Method and a martial arts studio are both there.

The Bell Theater is an entertainment venue that has plays, comedy, and music.

The building even hosts conferences and weddings.

The sprawling glass-and-steel complex originally opened as Bell Laboratories, which was then part of AT&T

Bell Works has an outside area that includes a pond, a walking bridge and lots of greenery

‘Reaching 98 percent leased is a true testament to the work we put into creating something distinctive,’ Zucker said.

‘But it’s not just about offices. The community wants to be at Bell Works.

‘Whether it’s the Monmouth Moms group meeting weekly in our turf space, study groups gathering in the atrium or the couple who comes every morning to walk, the building and campus create a space where people naturally come together.

‘The building may serve as the eerie stand-in for Lumon Industries in Severance, but in reality, it is the opposite of that dystopian vision.

‘Bell Works was intentionally designed to foster connection.’

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Terrifying Severance office actually exists… but it is completely different in real life

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