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Construction begins on 1888 Studios<\/a>, a 1.6M-sq.-ft. film and TV campus on Bayonne\u2019s waterfront A groundbreaking last month<\/a> marked a milestone moment for the Garden State\u2019s booming film\/TV sector and the City of Bayonne. The Dec. 16 ceremony marked the start of construction for 1888 Studios<\/a>, a 1.6 million-square-foot movie and television production<\/a> campus that includes 23 state-of-the-art smart stages, 10 acres of basecamp, an on-site five-story parking garage, 22-acre water backlot and more. The name pays homage to New Jersey native son Thomas Edison \u2013 1888 was the year he patented the first motion picture camera in N.J.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Togus Urban Renewal LLC leads development of the project. Gensler oversaw the design \u2013 meant to evoke Golden Age Hollywood.\n<\/p>\n 1888 Studios will sit on the Bayonne waterfront, near the Bayonne Bridge at the former Texaco site. The 58-acre parcel will become New Jersey\u2019s largest film and television production campus as well as one of the largest in the nation.<\/p>\n In every way, the project offers the chance for revitalization \u2013 including for the state\u2019s film legacy and Bayonne\u2019s ongoing redevelopment. \u201cThe story began right here in New Jersey, 140 years ago when Thomas Edison filed the patent for the first motion picture camera in 1888 \u2013 forever changing how the world tells stories,\u201d said Arpad \u201cArki\u201d Busson, chairman, 1888 Studios. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to honor Edison\u2019s legacy with our campus name. \u201cBayonne has always been shaped by ambition and innovation \u2013 from Rockefeller\u2019s Standard Oil and bustling port to the Horsley brothers founding one of America\u2019s first independent movie studios in 1907.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe city has long been a gateway for ideas and stories that connect people across the world. Now, with 1888 Studios, Bayonne reclaims its role as a global connector, this time at the forefront of entertainment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n A Paramount deal<\/p>\n Paramount has signed on as the anchor tenant at 1888 Studios<\/a>. The landmark 10-year lease agreement represents a commitment to occupy more than 285,000 square feet at the facility and establish a major production hub.<\/p>\n \u201cOur landmark partnership with Paramount signals to the world that New Jersey is ready to lead,\u201d said Busson.\n<\/p>\n Jimmy Davis, who recently departed as Bayonne\u2019s mayor after 12 years in office, has played a major role in the city\u2019s renaissance and redevelopment \u2013 and was instrumental in bringing 1888 Studios to his native city.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIf you know me, my famous line is, Bayonne is the center of the universe,\u201d said Davis. He prepared no notes for his remarks, because he has lived this; growing up just four blocks from where the studio is being built. \u201cAnd I\u2019m serious when I say it. You can go anywhere in the world \u2013 and if you mention you\u2019re from Bayonne, someone in another country is going to look at you with a crooked smile and go, \u2018Do you know the so-and-so family from Bayonne?\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n A city\u2019s transformation<\/p>\n But Davis said that something needed to be done because the city was struggling.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe City of Bayonne is steeped in American history,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd there was no way in my lifetime was I going to stand there and watch the City of Bayonne die. And slowly but surely over the last 12 years, we have transformed this city. And there\u2019s a lot of people involved to get that done.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Davis recounted meeting Busson several years back when he first showed interest in building the production hub on the former brownfield site, which housed an oil refinery that closed in the 1980s. \u201cMy answer to him was, this is the best place in the world to be, because it\u2019s the easiest to secure,\u201d said Davis, noting the location on the waterfront surrounded by the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay. \u201cJust look at how you came in. It\u2019s the only way you\u2019re coming in. You\u2019re surrounded by water. And you are now in the center of the universe.\u201d\n<\/p>\n A central theme throughout the groundbreaking was the establishment and enhancement of the state\u2019s production tax credits program. The major incentive initiative has led to a surge in production and spending here, as well as the construction of brick-and-mortar studios, such as 1888, Lionsgate (Newark)<\/a> and Netflix (Fort Monmouth)<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n The confluence of those developments has placed New Jersey at the epicenter of this space, which has been a key priority for the Murphy administration over the last eight years. And that trend is likely to grow in the coming years as these major studios take shape and open \u2013 and more productions make their way to the Garden State.\n<\/p>\n Project stakeholders say that 1888 Studios will bring a $1.2 billion investment to the city, county and state. The development will create 2,300 union jobs during construction and generate an additional 2,000 union jobs once it\u2019s open.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a reshaping of Bayonne and Hudson County<\/a>,\u201d said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, who added that Hudson County has become a major destination for filming in recent years. This studio takes that to the next level. \u201cThis is a great day for Hudson County.\u201d\n<\/p>\n This is a reshaping of Bayonne and Hudson County. \u201cSome of you in the back are saying New Jersey is now Hollywood East \u2013 fake news,\u201d said Sen. Raj Mukherji, D-32nd District, a prime sponsor of the legislation signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy June 30 that strengthened and enhanced provisions of the New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program. \u201cThis is the birthplace of film. As Arki noted, Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera here in New Jersey. His Black Maria in West Orange was America\u2019s first film studio.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe came first. And we\u2019re not Hollywood East. Hollywood was and will now again return to its rightful place as New Jersey West. And Paramount as anchor tenant and its investment means excellence in cinematic storytelling will be built here in Bayonne \u2013 here in Hudson County.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u2018Stories travel farther than our borders\u2019<\/p>\n Mukherji stressed that film is one of the strongest engines of American cultural influence and soft power.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBecause our stories travel farther than our borders,\u201d said Mukherji. \u201cIt shapes how the world sees us. And, most importantly, why others throughout the world want to be like us. And that influence isn\u2019t accidental. So, when those stories are filmed here, the cameras are not just pointed at scenery \u2013 they\u2019re pointing the world at New Jersey. They\u2019re pointing the world at Hudson County.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a port city. We\u2019re going to be exporting our creativity to the world, and the world is going to be watching New Jersey.\u201d\n<\/p>\n A beginning and an end<\/p>\n End of a chapter<\/p>\n NJBIZ sat down with former NJEDA<\/a> CEO Tim Sullivan as he reflected on his accomplishments over his eight-year tenure. Read more here.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n The groundbreaking also marked the final day for New Jersey Economic Development<\/a> Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, who departed the post<\/a> he held since February 2018 for the Murphy administration. Sullivan was another key stakeholder in the process to bring this mega production hub to the Garden State,\u00a0 along with the state\u2019s broader efforts in the film\/television space. The NJEDA oversees the state\u2019s film commission and administers the aforementioned tax credit program.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a great milestone and a great way to begin to mark the end of the Murphy administration and the governor and first lady\u2019s time in office,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cThis project is such a special project for Bayonne, for Hudson County, for New Jersey. And it has come as a result of so much work over many years.\u201d Sullivan thanked all the partners for their efforts in bringing this project to life.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a very, very long time coming \u2013 and a lot of work and a lot of vision,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cThink about when you first found this site, what this was \u2013 and what it will be. To take what was an oil tank and convert a brownfield \u2013 shoutout to [New Jersey] DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] Commissioner Shawn LaTourette \u2013 into what is going to be a generator of, to the senator\u2019s point, stories that will be told all around the world. To turn that liability into an asset; to turn this site into an economic engine is an accomplishment second to none, and one that I\u2019m really proud to be associated with in a small way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve got it all going on here\u2019<\/p>\n First Lady Tammy Murphy has also played an instrumental role in the state\u2019s film\/TV efforts. She stressed how the administration maintained a vision to reclaim New Jersey\u2019s production legacy and show off the state\u2019s ample assets with the rest of the world.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what we should be doing in New Jersey,\u201d she said. \u201cWe should share our incredible mountains, our wetlands, our beaches, our casinos, our cities. We\u2019ve got it all going on here \u2013 and everybody knows it. So, why not bring film back? And boy, has it been an adventure.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The governor echoed those sentiments about all that New Jersey has to offer in this space.\n<\/p>\n \u201cFrom day one \u2013 this goes back to our campaign, now 10 years ago \u2013 we saw film, television and digital,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cIt is who we are. It\u2019s where Edison patented that famous motion picture camera in 1888, where he had a studio, where we ooze with talent. We\u2019re a pro-union state, the quintessential union state. We\u2019ve got a location second-to-none. The innovation economy is who we are.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis to us was a no-brainer. And when you do the math, you get about $7 of economic benefit back for every dollar you put into an incentive package. And it\u2019s, in many cases, immediate. It\u2019s not just the bricks-and-mortar that we\u2019re celebrating today. But it is Steven Spielberg making \u2018West Side Story\u2019 and the impact in that diner, in the coffee shop, the dry cleaner \u2014 the civic pride.\u201d The governor said that this project in Bayonne represents another chapter in world-class film and television production here in the Garden State.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis project will generate thousands of new jobs, support small businesses, spark economic growth in Hudson County, and bring creators and storytellers from around the globe to our communities,\u201d said Murphy.\n<\/p>\n Busson added, \u201cCreated for movie makers by movie makers, 1888 Studios will be a world-class home for the industry\u2019s greatest storytellers \u2013 offering scale, state-of-the-art technology, and a creative environment unlike any other. In today\u2019s world, as we become increasingly aware of life\u2019s fragility, storytellers and content creators are more essential than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article The basics: Construction begins on 1888 Studios, a 1.6M-sq.-ft. film and TV campus on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[14629,42688,5868,37067,42689,30430,42690,9,24,32735,63,3005,134,136,135,42691],"class_list":["post-89426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-1888-studios","tag-bayonne-redevelopment","tag-economic-development","tag-film-industry","tag-film-tax-credits","tag-hudson-county","tag-new-jersey-film-industry","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-njeda","tag-nyc","tag-paramount","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news","tag-television-production"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nParamount<\/a> signs a 10-year lease as anchor tenant, committing more than 285,000 sq. ft.
\nProject brings a $1.2B investment and thousands of union construction and permanent jobs
\nDevelopment strengthens New Jersey\u2019s film tax credit program and production legacy<\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bayonne-Aerial-From-Bridge-2-e1761694878721.jpg\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bayonne-Aerial-From-Bridge-2-e1761694878721.jpg\")
The planned 1888 Studios in Bayonne will be built on a former brownfield site that housed an oil refinery that closed in the 1980s. \u2013 PROVIDED BY GENSLER\n<\/p>\n
\u2013 Craig Guy, Hudson County executive<\/p>\n
\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sullivan_1888-Studios_IMG_2378.jpg\"\/)
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Then-New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan speaks at the groundbreaking for the 1888 Studios project in Bayonne on Dec. 16, 2025. \u2013 MATTHEW FAZELPOOR\/NJBIZ\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/240508_1888_M-Gate-2.jpg\"\/)
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The planned 1888 Studios in Bayonne will include 23 state-of-the-art smart stages, 10 acres of basecamp, an on-site five-story parking garage, 22-acre water backlot and more. \u2013 PROVIDED BY GENSLER\n<\/p>\n