Inside the Real ‘Severance’ Building – How Ralph Zucker Turned a $27M Investment into a Thriving Inn

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 12:00:43 +1300

In 2013, entrepreneur Ralph Zucker made what some thought was a bold — even risky — move: purchasing the iconic yet long-abandoned Bell Labs building in Holmdel, New Jersey, for $27 million. Fast forward a decade, and the massive two-million-square-foot structure is now a fully revitalized, high-tech campus — and the unlikely filming location for Apple TV+’s psychological hit series Severance.

A Bold Vision for an Architectural Relic
Designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, the Bell Labs building was once a mid-century marvel of innovation and research. But by the early 2000s, the property had fallen into disuse, its once-brilliant halls sitting empty and silent.

That’s when Ralph Zucker and his firm, Somerset Development, stepped in with a transformative vision: to reimagine the structure as a vibrant mixed-use hub — part tech campus, part retail destination, and part cultural landmark.

The purchase price? Just $27 million.

The renovation cost? A staggering $273 million — and every dollar shows.

From Ghost Campus to Innovation Beacon
Now known as Bell Works, the revitalized structure is a model for adaptive reuse. The cavernous atrium has been repurposed into a “metroburb” — a self-contained urban ecosystem within the suburbs. The space features:

State-of-the-art offices and co-working spaces

Upscale cafés, restaurants, and retail shops

A rooftop event venue and public library

Wellness centers, barbershops, even a Montessori school

Today, Bell Works is 98% leased and home to over 100 companies, ranging from startups to major tech firms.

The ‘Severance’ Connection
The building’s retro-futuristic design, endless glass corridors, and eerie symmetry caught the attention of Hollywood — and soon, Apple TV+ came calling. Much of the eerie corporate environment in Severance, a dystopian workplace drama created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, was filmed right inside Bell Works.

The show’s stark visual style and surreal office setting brought international attention to the location, with fans praising the unsettling beauty of the building as a character in its own right.

Zucker himself embraced the attention, saying in interviews that Bell Works was always meant to be a place where “work meets life in the most inspiring way possible.”

A Case Study in Vision and Value
What started as a $27 million acquisition of a forgotten corporate relic has become a $300 million success story — blending architecture, innovation, and entertainment. Bell Works is now considered one of the most ambitious and successful adaptive reuse projects in the United States.

For Ralph Zucker, it’s not just a business win — it’s proof that with vision, even the most unlikely buildings can be reborn as cultural and economic powerhouses.