AT&T’s headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, marked a monumental shift for corporations moving to the suburbs. As the world’s largest company at the time, AT&T took a bold risk by moving to the country. Was it successful? What did the community think? Were they a good corporate citizen? This story shares interesting facts and stories from the historic AT&T Basking Ridge construction project from 1970 to 1975. The MLH Project engages with various organizations, historians, and residents involved as we look back. If you or someone you know were involved, we’d love to hear from you.
AT&T’s Basking Ridge, New Jersey campus in Somerset County, on the corner of North Maple Avenue and Interstate 287 in Bernards Township, became the envy of the corporate world from the day it opened in November 1975. Its seven low-slung buildings, attached by tunnels and walkways, hugged the hills and blended with the rural countryside. The showy headquarters featured a two-story corporate cafeteria with wood-burning fireplaces, a heliport, and an indoor waterfall cascading a ton of water a minute. Cars weren’t visible on the campus and were kept out of sight in a 3,900-space underground 15-acre parking garage. But how did it all happen?
AT&T and the Suburbs
Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Tucked in just off a major interstate in the northern end of a sleepy town, buildings as tall as 48 feet are hidden among lakes, a river, a swamp marsh, a forest, and yes, built right into a residential area. Nicknamed “295” by many because the facility’s address was 295 North Maple Avenue, AT&T had built this type of rural campus in Middletown, Bedminster, Holmdel, Piscataway, and other New Jersey locations, so they became pretty good at it. AT&T even won several awards for its sprawling nd creative designs that blend with the environment. So we look back at how AT&T built a campus with office space the size of a single World Trade Center tower while trying to hide it right in front of our noses.
In 1970, AT&T commenced a major project to bring AT&T’s new General Departments to Basking Ridge, New Jersey. What would become a two-phase construction effort, the project would bring the largest corporate presence in Bernards Township’s history. The first phase would bring 1,200 employees to the quiet New York City suburb and everything that came with such a transformation. Fifty years later, the Mr. Local History Project looks back at what many residents have called one of the largest transformations that is still debated today.
For AT&T, the goal was to complete the facility’s initial construction by mid-1975 and relocate 1,200 employees to the new facility. True to schedule, employees began moving into the facility in November 1975. Interestingly, AT&T reported that almost 99% of the employees were New Jersey residents, so relocation to Bernards Township would reduce their commute time to New York City. As a reference, homes in Murray Hill, averaging $60,000, were located near the Bell Labs facility. Homes averaged just 30,000st five years before Bell arrived, and taxes had risen from $800 to over $1,200 on average. Optimism ran high in the real estate market, with the expectation that homes would also increase in value around Bernards Township.
On May 26, 1970, the secret was out, and AT&T announced that it was considering a location in Bernards Township for a new office complex. Then, on June 15, 1970, local newspapers reported that the AT&T office plans were unopposed and moving forward. The area was chosen for its proximity to AT&T’s other key offices in Piscataway and Murray Hill.
Starting in 1970, AT&T began acquiring real estate, which enabled the move to proceed. The first site boundaries in Bernards Township are bounded on the south by Madisonville Road, on the East by Osborn Pond, on the west by North Maple Avenue and Interstate 287, and on the North by a swamp and the Passaic River. In 1971, AT&T acquired 150 acres of land in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Once completed, the 2-million-square-foot complex, situated just south of Interstate 287, would include 1.35 million square feet of office space. In conformance with local zoning requirements, the structures and buildings occupied only 10% of the 150 acres, complying well with the zoning ordinances. A new lake was even created, covering about 7 acres northwest of the building to serve as a settlement basin for water runoff and flood control.
AT&T was very busy over the summer of 1970 as it began its buying spree, negotiating with residents to acquire the property needed for the project. On October 27, 1970, it was reported that AT&T had finished acquiring its initial 144-acre site in Bernards Township for $1.6 million, or about $11,100 per acre. AT&T filed the documents with the Somerset County Clerk’s office on October 26, 1970. The area was within a newly created office/laboratory zone sanctioned by the Basking Ridge Planning and Zoning boards.
Once the land acquisitions were completed, AT&T would prepare schematic drawings of the first designs for the AT&T Board.
- 5 key acquisitions contained the initial 144 acres needed to proceed with the AT&T plan:
- $757,980 – 79 acres – Dr. Vera Dettweller Easling, 295 N. Maple Avenue
- Emerson – 5.69 acres for 285 N. Maple Avenue
- $610,000 – 55 acres – L.H. Bligh Parker for 234 Madisonville Road
- $150,000 – 4 acres – Allan A. Swenson for 246 Madisonville Road
- $75,000 – 6 acres – Edward J. Meehan Jr. for 275 N. Maple Avenue
- Additional acquisitions:
(If anyone knows the families or if a house was razed or moved, we’d love to hear from you.) Verizon owns all five above plus the ones noted below.- 275 N. Maple Avenue – $75,000 – 6 acres – Edward J. Meehan Jr.
- 265 N Maple Avenue
- 249 N. Maple Avenue
- 237 N. Maple Avenue
- 210 Madisonville Road
- 223 N. Maple Ave
- 166 Madisonville Road
- 172 Madisonville Road
- 180 Madisonville Road – We lived at 180 Madisonville from 71-81. The property was raised some time ago. (Eric Odderstol)
- 188 Madisonville Road
- 196 Madisonville Road – One of the houses at the bottom of the hill on Madisonville – I’m guessing 96, was sold in 1975 for a dollar to whoever would pay to have it moved… I remember watching it go down the street. (Eric Odderstol)
- 202 Madisonville Road
- 210 Madisonville Road
- 246 Madisonville Road – $150,000 – 4 acres – Allan A. Swenson
The AT&T Interactive Map – History Tracking
Want to share your history on the map? Send us a note with your story—Contact Us. AT&T also owned all but one of the 14 residential lots that front North Maple Avenue and Madisonville Road. Those lots, which include 11 homes, have assessments totaling $4.64 million.
As we find additional information, photos, and details, we will post them to this interactive Google map.
House Razing and Relocations
Several homes on the AT&T property were either razed or relocated. AT&T was very sympathetic to keeping homes built in the mid-to-late 1700s. As we find additional information, we will add it to the accompanying interactive Google map above.
The project’s chief architect was James A. Barthold, who worked primarily for the Vincent Kling and Ballinger architectural firms in Philadelphia. He specialized in construction administration and overseeing the construction of the AT&T Basking Ridge project. Distinctive features include a two-story cafeteria, wood-burning fireplaces, and an indoor waterfall: the structure’s design included two-, three-, and four-level offices. Two levels of garages would be underneath. Electrical and telephone lines were installed underground to provide a cleaner-looking environment.
1974 – Phase 1 Construction
The facility began in 1974 and was built in stages over a proposed 10-year period. Only on July 2, 1970, was it reported that the 45-day waiting period had ended and the site rezoning was in effect. 5 additional property owner options were also executed. The building would use 28 acres of the total property. Architect Vincent Kling had previously won awards for campus-style industrial building layouts. Only administrative business would be conducted at the site, and no research units would be present, as the Murray Hill Bell Labs served that purpose.
Heavy construction equipment entered through the N. Maple Avenue entrance, and construction workers used d a second access point from Madisonville Road to reach their paved parking area. They later removed the pavement and replaced it with grass. A “truck wash” prevented dirt and mud from being tracked into nearby neighborhoods. An estimated 800 construction workers were on the site at any given time.
1975, November – The 2.7 million square foot complex, situated on 130 acres just south of Interstate 287, included 1.35 million square feet of office space in seven interconnected buildings and 1.35 million square feet of garage and mechanical space. There were 3,900 underground parking spaces and a helipad. The complex opened in November 1975, five years after AT&T assembled the tract and announced it would relocate its operational headquarters from Manhattan. Soon, local real estate values soared, and many homeowners worked for the giant telecommunications company. Its doors opened to over 1,600 employees in 1975. The company added another 1,300 the following year, with about 100 added each month.
AT&T also owned all but one of the 14 surrounding residential lots that front North Maple Avenue and Madisonville Road. Those lots, which include 11 homes, had assessments totaling $4.64 million. The lots were sold as part of the complex. Another property that was later added was the AT&T Learning Center, a 171-room conference inn across the street at 300 North Maple Avenue.
Corporate Taxes Contribute $1 Million to Local Coffers
1977 AT&T property assessed at $93.6 million. After years of litigation between AT&T and the town, AT&T agreed to pay a tax rate of about $1 million per year, representing about 30% of the total annual municipal property tax.
At AT&T’s peak, nearly 6,000 employees worked there before the consolidation to other areas began. Mayor Robert M. Deane, commercial ratables became the state’s largest property tax appeal ever filed in New Jersey (November 26, 1979). The world’s biggest corporation agreed to an $80 million real estate assessment for the AT&T General Department complex. The decision put over $2.4 million into the Bernards Twp. “kitty”. After building the facilities in Basking Ridge and Bedminster, AT&T became the largest taxpayer in Somerset County. Total yearly taxes were quoted at $3.9 million, or about 39% of what Bernards Township collected. In 1980, a special set of hearings was held to determine how to use the $2.4 million escrow.
As a good corporate citizen, AT&T contributed to local organizations during the construction, including two hospitals, the fire department, and the local first aid squad.
The Facility
In 1975, there was a new corporate complex in Basking Ridge. Its seven low-slung buildings, connected by tunnels and walkways, hugged the hills and blended into the countryside. The headquarters featured a two-story corporate cafeteria with wood-burning fireplaces, a heliport, and an indoor waterfall that cascades a ton of water a minute. Cars weren’t visible on campus and were kept out of sight in a 3,900-space underground parking garage covering 15 acres. The campus also had a village with a bank, a barber, and other amenities.
Other Tidbits
Racist Controversy
The Suburban Action Institute, a privately funded activist group, made an interesting attempt to block the project in January 1971. It charged that AT&T was “committing racial and economic discrimination by relocating to a discriminatorily zoned Bernards Township. The institute was asking the EEOC to block the project. “AT&T is fleeing from an urban area with heavy black and Spanish-speaking populations to a “white oasis.”
It was later resolved in court. The opinion is that “No member of a minority will lose their job because of AT&T’s move to Basking Ridge. Anthony Pappas, AT&T’s public relations officer, responded to charges by the Suburban Action Institute. A second charge claimed there was no low- or moderate-income residential housing in the area. This led to other future lawsuits and injunctions, initiated by Basking Ridge’s Roy McDonald Taylor and his wife, but they didn’t involve AT&T. Instead, they focused on the Bernards Township Planning Board and the Township Committee.
There were also claims that Mayor Peter Mangano and former Mayor Robert O’Neill had a conflict of interest with AT&T. Resident Tudor Finch made the accusations as a final attempt to halt the project using local ordinance #331. It was later backpedaled that there was a “possible conflict of interest” and not an “actual conflict of interest.” Nothing came from the suit.
- The complex cost AT&T $219 million to construct. The waterfall alone was estimated to cost $250,000. The underground garage for 3,500 cars cost an estimated $40 million to construct. In 2002, it was sold to Pfizer for $200 million.
- AT&T won Somerset County’s Land Development Award (Commercial) in 1985 for the AT&T Learning Center
- AT&T’s Golden Boy statue of the “Spirit of Communications” didn’t arrive in Basking Ridge until 1992, 17 years after “295” opened.
- Helipad Disagreements: In 1975, the helipad was limited to 15 flights per week, with no more than five flights on any given day; flights had to occur during daylight hours, Monday through Friday. This was Bernards Township’s first helipad. Noted as a Class 1 Helipad license, the state approved the helipad in 1977. On August 13, 1984, AT&T was requesting 65 helicopter flights monthly and 780 flights annually. The deal would limit 10,000-pound large helicopters to the 4,000-pound craft. The pad was used mostly to take a 15-minute flight from AT&T’s lower Manhattan offices to the 295 N. Maple Avenue facility.
- The Old Mill Inn hotel was built and opened just North of Interstate 287, soon after AT&T opened in 1977. It was the only hotel between Morristown and Basking Ridge.
27 Years Later – the Experiment Was Over
In 1996, signs began to show problems at AT&T. AT&T sadly would have to unload its bucolic corporate fortress in 2002, which analysts call the beginning of the end for the once mighty giant. The AT&T campus, which had grown to over 200 acres of rolling hills in horse country of northern New Jersey, was put on the block for more than $300 million. Ironically, after sitting vacant for years, it was first sold to Parmacia of Peapack, left vacant, and finally scooped up by Verizon Wireless as its corporate headquarters.
Video taken in 1994 – In 2002, CEO Michael Armstrong and his leadership moved several miles away to a more modest, rudimentary building in Bedminster. The move was just one more painful step in AT&T’s winding down from a colossus into a struggling company selling assets to stay alive in the Somerset Hills.
Take a look at an interesting Basking Ridge Fire Company training video shot at AT&T headquarters.
Special Thanks
A special thank you to the Bernards Township Library for access to their history files and to the residents of Basking Ridge for sharing their thoughts and experiences during the period. As residents of Bernards Township and home to the Mr. Local History Project, we are always amazed at what we find during these retrospectives. Thanks, ks all!
UPDATE:
Remember AT&T’s Golden Boy with some fun retro swag.
Related MLH History Research
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I believe at some point after AT&T left this site, that Pfizer acquired it, but maybe never used it?
AT&T sold its Basking Ridge, N.J. headquarters to Peapack, N.J.-based Pharmacia Corp. for $200 million. The campus, featuring 1.3 million sq. ft. of office space, is located on 140 acres of property, in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. It was then sold to Verizon Wireless.
Thank you. Pfizer merged with Pharmacia in 2003. (My husband worked for Pfizer in Groton/New London, CT as did my father in Maywood, NJ.) I grew up in Basking Ridge from 1969 through 1979. My parents lived there until 2004.
My father worked in the building from 1983 to 1998 (as a child, I remember going there for the Christmas office party each year; we would always walk around and make our way to the waterfall and massive fireplaces). I work as an architectural historian and have wondered about it over the years, so I was really happy to come across this post.
I’d love to know more about the choice of architect/designer, what he said about some of the design choices made, and how he worked with AT&T. Interesting to me that they picked a Philly design firm and not NY. And despite working for Kling and on other big projects, it looks like Barthold’s legacy is very much tied to this complex – it’s mentioned in the first line of his obituary!
I was proud to work at AT&T headquarters several times during my 12 year career which started in Dallas, Texas and took me to Morristown N.J. (the first AT&T Marketing Division office) and then onto Basking Ridge HQ on Maple.
During that time, we were instrumental in transitioning the “OLD Bell System” (with its engineering & manufacturing mentality) -to- the “NEW Bell System” (with a Sales & Market Driven focus)………i.e. the “new” Bell Marketing System.
It was not only a privilege to work at HQ, but an honor to work with the world’s most successful communications company. So sad to see it’s “breakdown” and to know that Verizon ended-up in OUR offices!
The Baskin Ridge area of New Jersey was a great place to LIVE and WORK.
In November of 1981, I became one of the bevy of outside hires made by AT&T’s newly formed international business as the company prepared to once again do business outside the United States after decades of not having to compete for business. It wasn’t long before the new company had already outgrown its Morristown office and we moved into two brand new buildings in Basking Ridge that were right around the corner from AT&T’s “headquarters” complex at 295 North Maple Avenue. In December of 1982, a few of my co-workers (all formerly Western Electric) invited me to join them on a short trip over to the 295 “cafeteria” for lunch. Having come from the somewhat modest office environs of Johnson & Johnson, it was quite an experience observing all of the architectural magnificence while driving through the beautifully landscaped grounds, parking underground, and after a ride on the longest escalator I’d ever seen, coming into the largest open office space I had ever seen, completely covered in luxuriously thick, purple wall-to wall-carpet! The hushed tones of walking across that carpet towards our destination in such a huge open space was for me a bit surreal. But then the question arose – “shall we dine upstairs or down”? Deciding down, we began to descend this incredibly wide spiral stairway half the width of which on both sides was covered in a sea of red poinsettias! Ending, of course, in front of the largest fireplace I had ever seen complete with blazing logs that had to be five or six feet long! (The lunch did not disappoint – certainly not I would call cafeteria food.) I’ve related this experience many times over the years and hardly anyone believes me when I tell it. I’ve lived 2,000 miles away for the past twenty-five years (Lucent retiree, 2001) and have no idea what or who occupies it today, but it would seem worthy of nothing less than the New Jersey state capital complex. Wonder what NYC and Philly would think of that!
I loved working in the international legal department with James Talbot, and I remember Mike Berg as well as some of the other great people who were there too. Before that working at Bell Labs. What I missed was the feeling that we took care of each other. My father, my grandfather, and I worked in different parts of the bells. Never together or even in the same bell. But you had a sense of history. We were all very proud of our contribution and sad to see it go.
I worked for AT&T at 295 N. Maple Ave from 1987-1997. We called it “Shangrila.” I began my career as an Executive Secretary and had the privilege of ascending the brass staircase to C-Suite on many occasions. These leaders were viewed as almost god-like. Golden Boy shined his luster upon the main lobby, which was carpeted in an opulent purple with gold lines. Each building was about 1/4 mile, and you had to plan walking time to get to meetings on time. I roamed the halls quite often and knew many of the 5K+ people in the building. It was a great time to work in corporate America. When you left work at the end of the day, the cell circuits were jammed all along Interstate 295 because almost everyone who worked there had a cell phone.
I started with AT&T in 1978 in Bedminster, NJ. I ended up at the Ridge from 1982 thru 1987 working in HR Data Systems and Workers Comp and then ttransferred to Charlotte, NC. I loved working at the Ridge. They would also have vendors coming in weekly to sell their wares.
I always considered myself so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have worked at 295. It was a blessing to be apart of the executive staff at a special time.
My sister was one of the first employees to transfer from 195 Broadway in New York City to 295 North Maple when the Basking Ridge building first opened. I remember only a portion of the building being finished at the time. One whole section of the building was just open space with construction materials all over the place.
Also, the Parker House remained in use on the property. It was used as the office for the executive chauffeurs.
I worked at the At&T facility in 1978 as security with Wells Fargo. The place was massive. There were what seemed like millions of offices. I remember how challenging it was to not get lost at night with minimal lighting. I also recall the lighting was used to help heat the building.
Excellent article that brought back many memories.
I was part of the 1975 ‘Phase One’ group of employees that came in from AT&T’s official headquarters at 195 Broadway in lower Manhattan. If you periodically update the article, you might want to note in the ‘AT&T and the Suburbs’ section that just as the Basking Ridge complex was generally referred to as ‘295’, this convention followed the similar reference to the NYC HQ as ‘195’.
While the lobby waterfall clearly commanded the most attention, the escalators from the circular drop-off area and executive parking lot on the ground floor brought visitors up to a spacious lounge-like area with wrap-around cushioned seating and a broad assortment of different types of telephones located adjacent to the seating — all of which were ‘live’ and had dial tones when you picked them up. The Mickey Mouse phone always seemed to be a favorite with the kids when they came in with their parents for the Holiday festivities.
That small graphic on the left in the ‘1974 – Phase 1 Construction’ section of the article that depicts a (somewhat inaccurate) painting of the complex is actually the cover of a promotional handout that was distributed to the local residents to promote AT&T as a good neighbor. I have a copy of the pamphlet and can scan it for you — just let me know.
I served my apprenticeship as a Carpenter for local #455 UBC. It was quite experience working with older Carpenters of the trade at that time, Briscoe construction was the contractor then. I was proud to this day to have worked on such beautiful structure as AT&T Basking Ridge, NJ.
I worked as a secretary at AT&T 295 in the early 1980s. That was a magical place. Such a beautiful complex surrounded by bucolic landscaping. It was a magnificent place, and I feel fortunate I had the opportunity to be part of it. The buildings had a Frank Lloyd Wright feeling to them. If I could go back in time, this is exactly where I would go.
What a blast from the past to discover this. In May June 1975 there abouts, I visited AT&T as a Telecom Engineer from Australia investigating digital technology developments. Not being a high ranking executive, I had to find my own way there from NYC. That was a task in itself, not being familiar with transport over there. I had to take the subway from NYC to Hoboken NJ. Then take a train on the Erie-Lackawana railway from Hoboken to East Orange and then a bus to Basking Ridge. Took a long time about 1.5 hours or more. The most memorable part of the journey was the the age and set up of the train carriages. They were like something out of the wild west. Seating was open weave and the carriages felt unstable and had a lot of lateral movement. It was quite a ride. I have fond memories of you yanks there and also in Boston.
Back in the early 80s, there was an unemployed homeless guy actually living in the complex for several weeks. Some days he even attended large project meetings and took notes. He’d hit the conference rooms after hours looking for leftover danish. We sent him on his way with a warning, but he came back and we had to have him arrested.
I remember hearing or reading after AT&T left the property that it was one of the places that the USSR had targeted with nukes in the event they decided to go after us. Grok (AI) denies that this is the case but hey, you never know. I drove past this complex every day on my way to work.
We lived across the street at 262 No Maple (we lived in a converted barn that was part of the Dettweller Farm). When I started working at AT&T as a temp in 1983, I would walk to work. That was a long driveway to walk along! I got a job with T right after divestiture and worked in that building until Aug ‘85 when I was promoted to management (I lasted 38 years until retiring in 2021!) and was transferred to Somerset. The building had 7 individual buildings and it was quite confusing with the room numbering conventions. Walking from bldg 1 to bldg 7 was a hike! Before divestiture, there were 2 TVs near the cafeteria where we watched soap operas at lunch. Those were removed on 1/1/84 and the environment changed with security guards and elevators that did not go to every floor of the enormous parking deck! We had 2 cafeterias, a gift store, credit union, barber shop, post office, etc. It was such a fun place to work! Someone mentioned Christmas! We had the best Christmas Eve celebrations there! I brought my Dad to work with me as well as my nieces. Santa was there and we all ate so well! Such great memories!
I worked for AT&T IMS from ’88 to ’92 on the first floor of building 7. Our organization was responsible for all of the telephone, networking plant and computer support at the site and dozens of Unix servers. My desk was right outside of the telephone equipment room. As a result of my work, I had been in just about every space in the building except the kitchen and some maintenance spaces.
If anyone I worked with reads this (you know who you are), AT&T people were some of the best coworkers I ever had in four decades plus IT career.