Kearny (1925), manufacturing

Jersey City (1947, also known as Marion Shops), manufacturing

Clark (1959, later known as Hillside), manufacturing

Fair Lawn, NJ (1956), manufacturing

Newark (1926) distribution house, later service and regional headquarters

Union (c. 1954, also the New Jersey House), distributing and service

Hopewell (1958), Engineering Research Center

“One could see it from far away across the Jersey meadows – a patch of light against the blackness, like some great liner passing in the distance. Closer, it resolved itself into a group of immense buildings…‘Western Electric’ – said the great sign on the roof of the largest building.”

Kearny Works was opened in 1925, as the second Western Electric plant in the US. One of its main products were switchboards, ranging in size from desktop versions to huge long-distance central office exchanges. When the plant closed in 1983, it was one of the biggest employers in Hudson County, NJ.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.

Before becoming a movie star and civil rights activist, Ruby Dee (1922–2014), worked at the Kearny Works when production ramped up during World War II.  Here, Dee, on the verge of stardom (she had her first Broadway and on-screen roles in 1946), is soldering wires. Note her necklace decorated with bell charms.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.

These Western Electric buildings formed the first corporate office park in the US. In a 1969 dedication ceremony celebrating the addition of a Corporate Education Center on the premises, Morven resident Governor Richard Hughes stated, “No other industrial or business citizen is more welcome than Western Electric.” The center was torn down in 2016 and the land of the corporate park is now part of the Mount Rose Preserve.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center. 

Rudolph Associates, NYC.

Morven resident, Governor Meyner, looks at plans for new facilities for the Western Electric campus. It was to replace the old Princeton Film Center building in Hopewell on Route 569 (Carter Road).

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.

These women were part of Western Electric’s repair and recycling operations out of the Newark distribution house. The number of women in the ranks of Western Electric grew throughout the 20th century. In 1943, female employees outnumbered male counterparts. By 1969, women comprised about a third of all Western Electric employees.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.

The number of women in the ranks of Western Electric grew throughout the 20th century. In 1943, female employees outnumbered male counterparts. By 1969, women comprised about a third of all Western Electric employees.

Image Courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center.