Homdel sues to determine owner of Big Bang theory Horn Antenna

HOLMDEL - On top of the highest peak in Monmouth County lies the Horn Antenna, a large aluminum structure instrumental in the confirmation of the Big Bang theory.

That's no small thing. "It was the light detected by the antenna that confirmed our origin and gave us a new story of cosmic evolution." said resident Sarbmeet Kanwal, who worked at Bell Labs for 30 years, during Tuesday's Township Committee meeting.

"The 14-billion-year-old photons that were captured by the antenna in 1964 were racing over Crawford Hill straight from the fire that gave birth to our universe," Kanwal said. "It was on that hill, a couple of miles down the road, that we humans first became aware that we are bathed every moment by the light that emanated from our source."

The antenna became a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and the two astronomers who discovered the photons, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, were awarded a Nobel Prize in physics.

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But in recent years, as Nokia of America Corp. sold the land on which the Horn Antenna resides, legal questions about it came under scrutiny. Mainly, who owns the Horn Antenna, and can the antenna stay at its current home, behind a closed gate at 791 Holmdel Road?

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On Tuesday, the township filed a complaint in state Superior Court looking for answers. The current owner, Crawford Hill Holding LLC, and the contract purchaser, Burke Contracting LLC, are named in the suit as well as Nokia.

You can see the full complaint at the bottom of this story.

Nokia sold its research building along with 43 acres, in which the Horn Antenna resides, for nearly $3.6 million in early 2021.

Holmdel Township officials have sought assurances that if the land is developed, the Horn Antenna will be preserved. But Crawford Hill and Burke have left the question of ownership fuzzy. In October 2022, they told the township about language regarding the antenna within its sale contract, according to the complaint, that seems to give Nokia, the seller, some remaining power over the antenna.

"In the event buyer intends to relocate the Horn Antenna, buyer shall notify seller of such new location," the language states. "Buyer understands and agrees that relocating the Horn Antenna from the current designated site would require a new application to have the new site designated as a historical site. In addition, if buyer makes a determination that it no longer wants the Horn Antenna, buyer shall contact seller and give seller the first right to remove and relocate the Horn Antenna."

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In November 2022, the township authorized the planning board to determine if the property could be considered "an area in need of redevelopment for non-condemnation purposes," and in March 2023, the planning board voted to study the area.

In April 2023, the township wrote to Crawford Hill Holding and Burke to request a sworn statement that attested to Crawford Hill Holding's "complete ownership and control of the Horn Antenna."

According to the complaint, "the township was advised that Crawford Hill Holding would be retaining two new attorneys in anticipation of litigation" and "Crawford Hill Holding and Burke have never provided the township with any definitive information concerning the ownership and control of the Horn Antenna, nor have they provided any information other than the clause within the sale contract."

At Tuesday's committee meeting, Mayor DJ Luccarelli said, "The Township Committee is committed to preserving the Horn Antenna."

Mike Collins, attorney for the township, said that in addition to determining the ownership of the antenna, "the township is asking the court to determine if it may potentially exercise eminent domain powers as it pertains to the Horn Antenna."

Collins said the township believes the Horn Antenna "is fixed to the property" and Crawford Hill Holding and Burke Contracting have indicated that Nokia of America Corp. have a contractual right to relocate the Horn Antenna.

Collins said a judgment could take months to a year.

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Kanwal, the former worker at Bell labs, now teaches astronomy and physics at Brookdale Community College. He said he takes his students on pilgrimages to the site.

"When I relate the story about how every atom in their body was first fused in the Big Bang fireball, then cooked in the cores of stars in our galaxy, then baked in the molten center of the earth, before it congealed into our flesh and blood, they are certainly filled with awe and wonder. But they are also uplifted and awe-inspired," Kanwal said. "They want to devote their careers to making sure that what nature has wrought over 14 billion years is not destroyed because of our frivolous cravings for power and profit."

He asked the Township Committee to preserve the antenna on the site for the next generations to learn and be inspired by it.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected].