Comment by Scubabear68
2 years ago
Not just Murray Hill, but all of their offices were special.
I went to Holmdel High and my girlfriend’s dad was a distinguished engineer at the Holmdel Bell Labs installation, we drove by regularly (loved the transistor water tower), and got to visit him inside the building a few times. It was awe inspiring as an 18 year old to enter into such a sacred hall of engineering and science. I had a strong engineering bent since I was little, but knowing such a towering figure cemented it (inventor of Adaptive Delta Modulation).
I got to visit the Holmdel site a couple times, once in its heyday and once after it was half empty and down at the heels - an eerie vibe. It was an awesome sight when first arriving. It is colossal. Pictures don't do it justice. A symbol of economic power. Later I learned it was largely made possible by the government negotiating a deal with AT&T. It was a kind of crony capitalism Camelot. An industrial policy monument. But it was glorious. Saarinen designed a lot of Peak Industrial America headquarters.