In another step toward making New Jersey the East Coast mecca of film and television production, 1888 Studios broke ground Dec. 16 on the future site of a massive studio campus set to become the largest purpose-built facility of its kind in the state and one of the largest in the nation.
1888 Studios, named after the year Thomas Edison patented the motion film camera, is envisioned to be a 1.6-million-square-foot campus containing 23 sound stages employing as many as 4,300 people, according to some estimates. The 58-acre waterfront site in the shadow of the Bayonne Bridge in the Bergen Point neighborhood was once home to a Texaco oil refinery.
The groundbreaking is the latest development in New Jersey’s burgeoning motion picture and television production sector. Streaming service Netflix is building sound stages at Fort Monmouth. And last week, film production company Lionsgate launched a $125 million project that will build a film and television studio on the former site of the Seth Boyden Court public housing complex in Newark’s South Ward.
“Today marks more than a ceremonial groundbreaking. It is the realization of a bold vision to establish Bayonne as a global entertainment powerhouse in entertainment production – a place where the world’s greatest stories will be brought to life,” said Arpad “Arki” Busson, the New York-based French financier whose Togus Urban Renewal is developing the project.
“Created for movie makers by movie makers, 1888 Studios will be a world-class home for the industry’s greatest storytellers – offering scale, state-of-the-art technology, and a creative environment unlike any other.”
On hand for the ceremony were Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy, Paramount Head of Global Operations Jose Turkienicz, state Sen. Raj Mukherji, Assemblyperson Eliana Pintor-Marin, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis and New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan.
In October, Paramount signed a minimum 10-year lease agreement with 1888 Studios, committing to occupy more than 285,000 square feet of the facility and establishing a major production hub in New Jersey. Paramount and Netflix, both eyeing New Jersey for film and television production, are vying to purchase Warner Bros.
New Jersey’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program, expanded in 2025, empowers the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to designate three studio partners and three Film-Lease Partner Facilities, each linked to large-scale infrastructure commitments.
1888 Studios was designated New Jersey’s first Film-Lease Partner Facility in May 2024, and in October Paramount was designated as a studio partner. The designation made Paramount eligible for a 40% base tax credit for qualified production expenses on future New Jersey film and television projects.
1888 Studios is being designed by global architecture firm Gensler to evoke Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Andy Gordon, chief strategy officer and chief operating officer of Paramount, said: “Today represents an exciting milestone as we deepen our investment in U.S. production, fuel the creative economy, and help bring jobs to New Jersey and the U.S. Thanks to the strong partnership between New Jersey, 1888 Studios and Paramount, we’re building a foundation to create stories that will resonate around the world, and we’re proud to contribute to a thriving ecosystem that supports jobs, opportunity, and world-class entertainment.”
Besides Paramount, 1888 Studios is looking to attract additional tenants and industry leaders to further enhance the campus’ role as a hub for innovation and creativity and in the process generate thousands of jobs.
