Step Into the Real-Life Lumon Industries: The Hauntingly Beautiful HQ of ‘Severance’
From Forgotten Ruins to Cult Phenomenon: The Real Story Behind ‘Severance’s’ Iconic Setting
Long before Apple TV+’s psychological thriller “Severance” turned Lumon Industries into a chilling dystopian workplace, the real-life building that served as its headquarters had an eerie history of its own.
The Discovery: How a Forgotten Relic Became a Hollywood Star
When Jessica Lee Gagné, the director of photography for Severance, began scouting locations, she wasn’t looking for just any corporate office—she needed a space that radiated both cold efficiency and unsettling nostalgia. What she found was a once-abandoned marvel of midcentury architecture: Bell Labs, a sprawling office complex in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Scrolling through old blogs, Gagné stumbled upon haunting images of a decaying labyrinth of empty hallways, triangular skylights, and cavernous lobbies. Intrigued, she typed Bell Labs into Google Maps and couldn’t believe her eyes. Could this time capsule of corporate history still exist?
Ben Stiller’s Pilgrimage to the Perfect Set
Just days after her discovery, Gagné and Severance director Ben Stiller made the trip to Holmdel. As they approached, a massive, three-legged water tower loomed over them like a relic of a lost civilization. Despite recent renovations, the building’s ominous aura remained intact—a stark, mirrored monolith standing frozen in time.
Stiller knew instantly: this was Lumon Industries.
The Strange Allure of Bell Works
Originally built as the Bell Labs research facility, the site was once a bustling hub of innovation. But after decades of corporate shifts, it fell into disrepair—a ghost of the past, echoing with the whispers of long-forgotten workers. Now, thanks to Severance, the site has been resurrected not just as a filming location, but as a tourist attraction for fans eager to step inside Lumon’s eerie world.
From Fiction to Reality: The Lasting Impact of ‘Severance’
With Severance capturing the imagination of millions, the real-life Lumon HQ has transformed into something unexpected: a monument to the blurred lines between work, memory, and identity. Visitors now walk the same halls where Adam Scott’s Mark Scout once did, marveling at the eerily familiar sunken lobbies and endless, sterile corridors.
In a world where corporate life can sometimes feel just as surreal as fiction, Bell Works stands as both a real-world relic and a chilling mirror of our own reality.
💬 Would you step inside the real-life Lumon Industries? Or is the thought of it just a little too unsettling? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
