{"nrhp_refnum":"75001202","name":"Bell Telephone Laboratories","other_names":["Westbeth"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"463 West St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.73658257850005,"lon":-74.0090446672006,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-05-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1975-05-15","areas_of_significance":["Science"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 13-story concrete and steel laboratory building at 463 West Street on the western edge of Greenwich Village, New York City, built in 1896-1898 for Western Electric and later converted into artists' housing known as Westbeth.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was home to Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1898 to 1966, a pioneering industrial research institution. The lab's work, including sound motion pictures, television transmission, the transistor, and lasers, shaped telecommunications and the role of industrial research in American science. The building itself is described as having no major architectural significance.","narrative":"Rising thirteen stories on West Street at the edge of Greenwich Village, this buff brick and terra-cotta building was constructed in 1896-1898 to house Western Electric's laboratories. From 1898 to 1966 it served as the home of Bell Telephone Laboratories, which brought together the research and development work of the Bell System under one roof by 1907. Work associated with the laboratories included high fidelity recording, sound motion pictures, television transmission, the digital computer, the transistor, and lasers. The nomination presents the laboratory as a pioneer of industrial research, showing the close link between science, technology, and corporate growth. The building's design is described as standard factory construction of no major architectural significance. After the laboratories moved to New Jersey, the structure was bought in 1967 and converted by architect Richard Meier into 383 studio-type living and working units for artists. The exterior remains unchanged, while the interior now holds apartments, a dance studio, and commercial spaces.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior unchanged from the laboratory years; the interior was converted in 1967-1969 into 383 studio-type living and working units, a dance studio, and commercial facilities. Marked occupied and used as private residence and commercial space.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.730653-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/75001202_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001202/eab03564d4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001202/eab03564d4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"oinonio from New York City, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westbeth_Complex_vc.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">oinonio from New York City, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westbeth_Complex_vc.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315968","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Laboratories_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4883200"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/bell-telephone-laboratories-75001202/"}