N.J.’s historic Horn Antenna, which confirmed Big Bang, faces uncertain future

The Horn Antenna that confirmed the Big Bang theory sits on a 42-acre site in Holmdel that is being considered for redevelopment.

The possible redevelopment of a 42-acre tract of land in Holmdel -- home to the Horn Antenna, a national historic landmark for its role in confirming the Big Bang Theory -- has residents at odds with officials.

The township committee voted last month to allow the planning board to do a study to determine if 791 Holmdel Road should be designated an area in need of redevelopment for non-condemnation purposes under New Jersey's Local Redevelopment and Housing Law.

The property contains includes the Horn Antenna, which recorded a hissing sound on May 20, 1964 used to confirm the Big Bang. Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias, former Bell Labs physicists, earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their work.

The antenna, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1988, sits on the former site of Bell Labs, which became Alcatel-Lucent and later Nokia. The property was sold last year for $3.7 million to Crawford Hill Holdings, LLC.

The town received a request from the attorney who represents the property owner asking for the study, Mayor Gregory Buontempo said in a phone interview.

Residents say the study was added at the last minute to the township committee's consent agenda, usually reserved for routine items like paying bills. But Buontempo said officials asked for the item to be placed on the committee agenda prior to it being published the Friday before the Nov. 22 meeting. The township attorney had a death in the family and the item got lost in the shuffle of a covering attorney, Buontempo said.

"There is nothing more I want than to preserve it," Buontempo said. "But it's tricky because it's owned by a private developer."

"I’m trying to work from a disadvantaged position to do something positive to proactively save and preserve it," the mayor said.

Three local groups -- Citizens for Informed Land Use, Friends of Holmdel Open Space and Preserve Holmdel -- started a petition opposing the redevelopment and in less than a week had about 3,000 signatures. It now has more than 4,500 with a goal of 6,400.

The signees are people from Holmdel, throughout New Jersey and across the country, said Kin Gee, editor of Better Holmdel. "You’ve got a lot of people, not just Holmdel, saying this is important."

Residents are frustrated because officials did not allow public comment at the township committee meeting or the planning board meeting where the study was decided upon. The study is expected to take two months and when it's completed, the public will be invited to comment.

"It seems like at that point, whatever the recommendation is, is pretty much baked in and it's late in the process to make comments," Gee said.

Ralph Blumenthal, who is chairman of the Holmdel Zoning Board and a trustee of Friends of Holmdel Open Space, said it has become "routine" for the planning board and committee to have things pop up at the last minute and not allow public comment.

"I would prefer if they were a little more open. When there is a bunch of people there wishing to speak, I think they should allow them to. They should be aware of what residents are feeling," he said.

Blumenthal also has another reason why the property is important. He's a highpointer -- a person who travels to the highest point in a state or county. Crawford Hill is the highest point in Monmouth County.

"With two unique things on one site," he said, "I thought it would be a great place for a park."

The property is mostly wooded with a roughly 50,000-square-foot research building. The antenna has been vandalized recently, said Robert Wilson, who won the Noble Prize along with a colleague for using the antenna confirming the Big Bang Theory.

Wilson, who is now retired, still lives in Holmdel near the antenna and keeps tabs on it. Three of the four windows were broken by vandals and have been sealed with plastic, he said, adding that the antenna is also in need of maintenance.

"In the best of worlds I would like it to stay where it is, be protected and have easy public access," he said. "I am not convinced that all three can be done, though."

Wilson said has been assured by representatives for the owner of the property that they want to see the antenna preserved.

"He has no intention of bulldozing it as some have suggested," Wilson said. "I don't know what he hopes to do with the site or what the township zoning board will allow him to do. My favorite alternative to staying where it is would be to move it to Bell Works where it would be seen by more people and protected by the existing site surveillance. They are quite open to that. This, however, might upset its National Historic Landmark status."

The mayor said he is also committed to preserving the antenna.

"I’m anti-development," Buontempo said. "I’m not in favor of putting more homes in Holmdel. They have a huge impact on roads, schools and services. It's a concern. The only reason I would entertain putting this on the agenda is because the antenna is there. It is so significant and deserves to be preserved."

Buontempo said he has had wealthy residents reach out to him to say that they would contribute to a fundraising effort to preserve the antenna. "It should stay in Holmdel, be preserved and protected, so for decades to come people can still ... see it and study it."

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Allison Pries may be reached at [email protected].

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