Lights, Camera, Bayonne!

The view down the main road which will be called Paseo.

Coming Soon: A Major Motion Picture Studio

By Daniel Israel

Renderings Courtesy of Gensler

The former roughly 2.2 million Texaco site, a vacant industrial slice of land at the southernmost tip of Bayonne, will see the empty lot of paved concrete be transformed into 1888 Studios by redeveloper Togus Urban Renewal, LLC and 1888 Studios, LLC. The planned studio has been described as “the largest ground-up film studio in North America.” What does that mean exactly? Well, the redeveloper is going to be constructing all of the 19 or 20 or so buildings and facilities it needs to operate the studio all at once. Historically, that is not something that does not really ever occur when building the structures for a film studio. Thus, this is not only a unique opportunity for the film industry, it is also a unique opportunity for Bayonne to return to its roots. While it may not be known for it, the city has a history with the film industry.

Centaur Film Company started in Bayonne

The move to allow the construction of a motion picture studio is fitting, given that it was home to one of the earliest independent motion picture companies.

In 1907, William and David Horsely established Centaur Film Company. It was the first motion picture company in America that was not controlled by Thomas Edison and his camera patents. Ironically, the studio’s name comes from the year Edison discovered the motion picture camera, an interesting choice given the history. In Bayonne, the Horsleys operated out of the studio for a few years. During that time, the studio was located on what is now Broadway, but back then was at 900 Avenue D. A few years after establishing Centaur Film Company, the Horselys ventured West. Soon, they became the first film producers to go to Hollywood in 1911, establishing West Coast operations under the Nestor Motion Picture Company. They filmed at both studios until 1912. That year, the Horselys ceased filming in Bayonne as Nestor Motion Picture Company merged with four other film companies to become Universal Picture Company.

A burgeoning industry headed to the city

Since then, a number of television shows and movies have been filmed in the city, from War of the Worlds to the Equalizer. But now, many more are expected to be shot in the Peninsula

City, as the studio is sure to attract the industry to the city with its revolutionary new studio. The studio will also bring with it thousands of jobs. And with that, the redeveloper has promised to offer a job fair to allow Bayonne residents to get first dibs. Additionally, the 1888 Studios will work with the school district to establish apprenticeship programs with students. This is in major contrast to previous plans for the site, which called for up to 7,000 residential units as part of Kaplan Companies’ plans for the site. Mayor James Davis has touted his administration’s efforts to bring the film studio to fruition. “We are very proud that our City Administration worked successfully to get the studio complex approved,” Davis told Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula Magazine. “Bayonne will have thousands of new, high-paying union jobs, multimillion-dollar buildings, and a prestigious industry … It is most appropriate that Bayonne will be the home of a major new motion picture studio. Bayonne is one of the places where that industry first began.”

A rendering of the planned post production office.An aerial rendering of 1888 Studios

The current state of the Texaco site.

A rendering of the planned mill buildings on the site.

A rendering of the planned creative office.

A photo of the former location of the Centaur Film Company. Photo by Daniel Israel

A photo of the Centaur Film Company established in1907. Shutterstock/everettcollection.com

The planned entryway aims for a classic movie studio feel.

A rendering of the planned post production office.An aerial rendering of 1888 Studios

Insiders excited following approval And it may be the future of the industry. The project has earned the praise of Bayonne native and prolific novelist, screenwriter, and producer George R.R. Martin, who wrote the novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” which was adapted into the Emmy-winning television series “Game of Thrones,” helpe create the “Wild Cards” anthology series, and contributed to the world-building for the video game “Elden Ring,” among other accomplishments. “This is just so cool,” Martin recently wrote on his blog. “The site they have picked, the old Texaco plant in the shadow of the Bayonne Bridge, is just a few blocks west of the federal housing projects where I lived from age four until I left for college, at First Street across from Brady’s Dock. You can see the bridge from the park across the street from our apartment.”

Martin said the studio will be a great opportunity for young people. “And if a film studio had been there when I was a kid… instead of Texaco… who knows what effect that might have had on my life and my dreams? If they can actually get the 1888 Studio built, it will be an incredible thing for all the young dreamers in Bayonne, and the rest of Jersey.” Martin even talked about possibly coming back to Bayonne to shoot something there upon the studio’s completion.

“It would be so so so cool if the studio gets built, and one day I return to shoot a film or television show there,” Martin said. “Probably not a Westeros show, as Bayonne has a notable lack of castles… but hey, maybe Wild Cards! The Great and Powerful Turtle lived in the same apartment I did at 35 East First Street, and had his junkyard hideout on the Hook.” Martin has come back to the city several times over the past few years, and has had many discussions about the re-birth of Bayonne with Davis. Those discussions will likely continue as shovels are put in the ground on 1888 Studios. — BLP