Advocates aim to protect 'genius of Saarinen' Design charrettes for Bell Labs site set for April 11-13 BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer Members of a coalition dedicated to preserving the Bell Labs site in Holmdel met last week on a wooded tract across from the historic site, then made their way tentatively onto the property before being stopped by security guards. Representatives of groups advocating for the preservation of the former Bell Labs complex in Holmdel make their way onto the grounds on March 26. Lucent Technologies, parent company of Bell Labs, occupied the iconic building designed by Eero Saarinen until July 2007. The intrepid group represented a coalition of state and national organizations committed to protecting the site of many breakthrough technological advances from the threat of development. The group held a press conference on Wednesday, March 26, on open space across from the Lucent facility on Crawford's Corner Road to announce the initiative. In attendance were: Seth Leeb, president of the American Institute of Architects New Jersey Chapter and Michael Calafati, chapter chairman; Ron Emerich, executive director of Preservation New Jersey; Nina Rappaport, chairwoman of DOCOMOMO - N.Y./tristate chapter; and Clinton J. Andrews, director of the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. ERIN STATTEL Also at the press conference were Don Heirman, a former Bell Labs employee who worked at the Holmdel location for 34 years, and Holmdel resident and architect JayWentz. Andrews announced that the group would hold a design charrette onApril 11, 12 and 13 thatwill be open to architects and designers who will be able to walk through the facility and then brainstorm preservation and design adaptation ideas for prospective buyers. After the announcement,members of the coalition began walking onto the property and were approached by a security guard. Currently, the building that had housed approximately 6,000 employees is empty with the exception of a small staff ofmaintenance and security personnel. "The Bell Labs complex conjures up deep feelings among all architects as the embodiment of the genius that was Eero Saarinen, a 20th-centurymaster," said Leeb. "Bell Labs is important to New Jersey and technology as theGatewayArch is to St. Louis andwestward expansion, and the TWA terminal at JFK and Dulles Airport itself are to New York andWashington, D.C., and aviation." The coalition called lastweek's press conference to announce that its members will help prospective buyers retain the historical integrity of the 472-acre former Bell Labs site. "It is an internationally significant site architecturally," said Emerich. "This site appeared on PreservationNewJersey's 10Most Endangered Historic Sites in New Jersey 2007, andwe intend to keep sites like this on the list until they are no longer in danger." Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed the GatewayArch in St. Louis, designed the main building at the former Bell Labs site. World-renowned landscape architect Sasaki, Walker and Associates designed the landscaping surrounding the 2 millionsquare foot, mid-century modern building. The building was erected between 1959 and 1962 and was expanded in 1966 and 1985. According to information from Preservation New Jersey, the site in Holmdel is eligible for placement on theNational Register of Historic Places. "This building is a significant project for DOCOMOMO and epitomizes the suburban office movement," said Nina Rappaport, chairwoman of the tristate chapter of the organization, whose name is an acronym for the "documentation and conservation of the modern movement." "We would like to see this building not only preserved but adapted to climate control and other modern issues," Rappaport said. "The building itself has so much meaning," said Lincroft resident and former 34- year Bell Labs employee Don Heirman. "It was one of the first all-glass buildings and so much was done there. It was pleasant to work in, and it would be a shame if it was torn down." Heirman, who now heads his own consulting firm, said that approximately 6,000 people had worked at the Holmdel site and that retired employees enjoy visiting the location to reminisce about some of the various technological breakthroughs thatweremade there. Emerich said that the coalitionwould like toworkwith prospective buyers to ensure the new ownership or new vision does not endanger the structure. Calls toAlcatel-Lucent for commentwere not returned last week. According to Emerich, Lucent is in favor of the initiative and the company just needs to find a buyer willing to work with the preservation movement. As home to Bell Labs for nearly half a century, the site was the locale of several technological advances, including the cell phone and the work of six Nobel Prize laureates. Shuttered in July 2007 and listed for sale, the site is owned byAlcatel-Lucent, the parent company of Bell Labs. According to PreservationNewJersey, in 2006 the owners entered into an agreement with Preferred Real Estate Investments of Conshohocken, Pa. Preferred had proposed demolishing Saarinen's building, but later recanted that ideawhen hundreds of letters of protest came from scientists worldwide. While the property is zoned for low-density coverage in order to preserve a major groundwater recharge area, Preferred had also proposed constructing 300 new homes on both sides of the long access road, in exchange for saving the main structure for a new corporate office park. Alcatel-Lucent informed the town committee that the deal fell through in November 2007. Holmdel resident and architect Edward Wentz got involvedwith the initiative to help save a historically significant building. "When the deal with Preferred fell through, I felt itwas absolutely necessary for any buyer to keep the footprint, the circulation and the park-like setting at the Lucent site," Wentz said. "Potential buyers need guidance as to what to do so they do not endanger the history that is there." The design charrettewill be hosted by the Citizens for Informed LandUse andwill take place at the Holmdel Senior/Community CenterApril 11, 12 and 13. It will be open to the public on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 10:30 a.m.